Ancient Greece Home Life
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In Ancient Greece, men played the dominant role in the household. Men were in charge of the household and got to go to public events such as the Olympics and engaged in politics while women were encouraged to stay in the home. Women weren’t allowed to go to places such as the Olympics, marketplace or the streets. The only places women could go alone to were: weddings, funerals, religious services and to visit other women. Only wealthy women had this privilege though. Also, when men had people over for dinner to entertain, his wife would have to eat in a different room.
Men wore long, rectangular pieces of cloth with head and arm holes. The richest men had the most decorated clothes while the poor had the least decorated. Women wore similar clothes to men. Women sometimes wore makeup and wigs for special occasions. In the city of Athens, pale skin was very popular amongst women because it meant that they were wealthy enough to stay inside the home. The most important tasks for women were running the household, having children and managing slaves. In poor households, the family couldn’t afford a slave so the women had to do housework, work in the fields, retrieve water, and sell things they grew such as vegetables and flowers.
There were many babies in the time of Ancient Greece that didn’t survive. If a woman had a deformed baby, she would abandon it. Sometimes, if the baby was lucky, it would be rescued and raised as a slave by another family. Some Greek cities would wrap children in cloths until around the age of 2. This, to them, would insure the baby would have strong and straight limbs. Children had many toys similar to toys of today. They had dolls, rattles, tops, and swings. The richer families had a better assortment of toys while the poor were expected to work for their family during their youth. After a girl would marry, she would take her childhood toys and leave them at the temple of Artemis, which would mean, their childhood was over. Families also had pets such as dogs, pigs, tortoises, and caged birds. Children usually spent the majority of their time with their mother. Mothers would teach the girls to cook, clean and weave. They would also teach their daughters secret songs and dances for religious festivals. Girls would also help their mothers around the house. Some girls also would be taught to write by their mothers but that was extremely rare. Boys were taught by their fathers until the age of 7, when they were sent to school. This was because boys were considered more important than girls. At school, boys learned to write the alphabet and read. They also learned how to add on an abacus and got to enjoy poetry and music. Boys were always supposed to have a healthy body and mind. They were required to participate in wrestling, jumping, running and javelin throwing. When boys turned 16, they began to train for their future jobs. If they wanted to be in the army, they would begin training at age 7 and then enter the army at the age of 18. All boys were required to enter the army for 2 years at the age of 18. When boys turned 20, they would start their jobs such as Olympic athletes or businessmen. Many cities actually required men to be at least 30 to participate in city politics.
When young girls hit puberty at the ages of 12 to 16, they would get ready to be married. They usually married men from the age of 25 to 30. Girls who were poor usually got married older and found their husbands while working in the fields. Rich girls would get married to a man whom her father, uncles, or brothers picked. Most of the time, the girl had never met her soon-to-be husband before their marriage. During the parent arranged marriages, the girl’s parents would pay a dowry to her new husband and the girl would move in with him. Sometimes, the man’s parents would live with the couple, or slaves would live with them. Some had unmarried or widowed sisters that would live with them also. After a couple was married, they were expected to have a child. If the couple was infertile or not able to have a child, people believed that it was a curse from the gods. Divorce was common in Ancient Greece. When a couple got divorced, the husband would return the dowry to his wife so that she would have money to live on. Children would stay with the father and learn to run the farm or business that they would one day inherit.
Men wore long, rectangular pieces of cloth with head and arm holes. The richest men had the most decorated clothes while the poor had the least decorated. Women wore similar clothes to men. Women sometimes wore makeup and wigs for special occasions. In the city of Athens, pale skin was very popular amongst women because it meant that they were wealthy enough to stay inside the home. The most important tasks for women were running the household, having children and managing slaves. In poor households, the family couldn’t afford a slave so the women had to do housework, work in the fields, retrieve water, and sell things they grew such as vegetables and flowers.
There were many babies in the time of Ancient Greece that didn’t survive. If a woman had a deformed baby, she would abandon it. Sometimes, if the baby was lucky, it would be rescued and raised as a slave by another family. Some Greek cities would wrap children in cloths until around the age of 2. This, to them, would insure the baby would have strong and straight limbs. Children had many toys similar to toys of today. They had dolls, rattles, tops, and swings. The richer families had a better assortment of toys while the poor were expected to work for their family during their youth. After a girl would marry, she would take her childhood toys and leave them at the temple of Artemis, which would mean, their childhood was over. Families also had pets such as dogs, pigs, tortoises, and caged birds. Children usually spent the majority of their time with their mother. Mothers would teach the girls to cook, clean and weave. They would also teach their daughters secret songs and dances for religious festivals. Girls would also help their mothers around the house. Some girls also would be taught to write by their mothers but that was extremely rare. Boys were taught by their fathers until the age of 7, when they were sent to school. This was because boys were considered more important than girls. At school, boys learned to write the alphabet and read. They also learned how to add on an abacus and got to enjoy poetry and music. Boys were always supposed to have a healthy body and mind. They were required to participate in wrestling, jumping, running and javelin throwing. When boys turned 16, they began to train for their future jobs. If they wanted to be in the army, they would begin training at age 7 and then enter the army at the age of 18. All boys were required to enter the army for 2 years at the age of 18. When boys turned 20, they would start their jobs such as Olympic athletes or businessmen. Many cities actually required men to be at least 30 to participate in city politics.
When young girls hit puberty at the ages of 12 to 16, they would get ready to be married. They usually married men from the age of 25 to 30. Girls who were poor usually got married older and found their husbands while working in the fields. Rich girls would get married to a man whom her father, uncles, or brothers picked. Most of the time, the girl had never met her soon-to-be husband before their marriage. During the parent arranged marriages, the girl’s parents would pay a dowry to her new husband and the girl would move in with him. Sometimes, the man’s parents would live with the couple, or slaves would live with them. Some had unmarried or widowed sisters that would live with them also. After a couple was married, they were expected to have a child. If the couple was infertile or not able to have a child, people believed that it was a curse from the gods. Divorce was common in Ancient Greece. When a couple got divorced, the husband would return the dowry to his wife so that she would have money to live on. Children would stay with the father and learn to run the farm or business that they would one day inherit.