Download WHICh5Sec4-Daily life in Athens-2014

WHICh5Sec4-Daily life in Athens
• Farmers grew olives,
grapes & figs on terraced
hillsides
• Athens sent out men to form
colonies overseas. Colonies
spread Greek culture and
promoted trade.
• Trade became the mainstay
of the Athenian economy
• Athens exported olive oil &
wine, imported grain and
other foods.
• Athenian ships sailed through
the Mediterranean world.
• Greeks generally built simple homes but
magnificent public buildings.
• They believed money should be spent on
public buildings, to benefit the whole
community.
• Houses-one or two stories
• Courtyard in the center;
you entered from the
outside, into the courtyard.
• Inside the courtyard, there
were doors to the rooms
• Lamps burned olive oil
• No plumbing
• Got water from a public
well.
• Marriages were arranged by the parents.
• Girls got married at about 14, men about
28-30
• Purpose of marriage was have children
• If the family could not afford the child, it
was left out to die (infanticide)
• A Greek woman was supposed to be
modest, hardworking, and stay in the
house and out of sight.
• Sappho was a female poet who
lived on the Greek Island of
Lesbos 610BC-580BC.
• She was the daughter of a
wealthy family, and unlike most
girls, she was well educated.
• Little is known for certain about
her life, but it is believed that
she married and had a daughter.
• She became famous for her
poetry during her own lifetime,
and was revered by later Greeks
as one of the 9 great lyric poets.
• Sappho-”Sleep
Darling”“Sleep, darling
I have a small daughter
called Cleis, who is like a
golden flower
I wouldn’t take all
Croesus’ kingdom with
love thrown in, for her”
• Women legally and socially inferior
• Could not own property
• In Athens and most Greek cities other
than Sparta, they were expected to stay in
the background, preferably in the house,
out of sight.
• They stayed out of sight when their
husband’s had guests, rarely appeared in
public, and only with their husband’s
permission.
• Duties-to have children, to manage the
house and slaves.
• Mother took care of all children until about 6
• Girls stayed home & were taught to manage
the house. They rarely received any other
education.
• At about age 7, boys went to school (for a
small fee) & studied reading, writing,
grammar, literature, music, gymnastics.
• Boys were accompanied by a male slave called
a pedagogue, who went everywhere with
them and taught them manners.
• Boys often learned large parts of the Iliad &
Odyssey
• Most Greeks were poor and hardworking. They
labored long hours as farmers or fishermen.
• Well to do Greek men spent their time in pursuit
of intellectual and physical excellence.
• They discussed politics and philosophy with
friends in the agora, and had drinking parties
called symposia (symposium is the singular), at
which politics and philosophy were discussed.
• Greek education stressed a sound mind in a
sound body.
• Grammar was said to develop the mind; music
was said to develop the emotions; gymnastics
developed the body.
• Sophists were men who opened schools and
taught older boys.
• Older boys studied government, math, ethics
(philosophy of moral duty), rhetoric (public
speaking & debate)
• The Greek language spread throughout the
lands around the Eastern Mediterranean.
• Greek became a second language for
educated people everywhere in the lands
around the Eastern Mediterranean.
• At age 18 all Athenian males
received a year of military
training.
• Young men who could afford
armor and weapons became
hoplites (heavily armed
Greek foot soldiers), and
served in the army when
needed.
• Poorer men also served in
the army when needed, but
served on the army’s flanks.
• Citizens rowed
the warships
(triremes) in the
Athenian fleet.
• Then navy was
the most
important
defense of
Athens.