ancient greece life, society and culture

LIFE, SOCIETY & CULTURE IN ANCIENT GREECE(Circa 850 - 300 BC)

LIFE, SOCIETY & CULTURE IN ANCIENT GREECE

GOVERNMENT

(MALE CITIZENS - DEMOCRACY)

MALE CITIZENS

MALE CHILDREN

WOMEN, FOREIGNERS & FEMALECHILDREN

SLAVES

Native free men were theonly citizens.

SOCIAL PYRAMID


Men could go to thetheatre to see dramas

performed in honor of thegods.

Theatres were built outside, usually on a hillside. All of the actors were men -they even played the female roles. Each actor played several parts in the play by wearing a different mask for each part. Greeks invented theatre.

Women couldn’t go to the theatre. They used to be at home. They learned spinning, weaving, sewing,… Women didn't participate in politics or public life. Serving as a priestessin one of the temples was one of the only public duties that a woman might perform.

In the home, the women's rooms were in the back, far away from the entrance to the house. The front rooms were sometimes used by the men in the household for "symposia" (banquets). The only women who attended these parties were the entertainers who played music and danced for the guests.

http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/GREECE/GreekFloor.html

Greek houses weremade up of two orthree rooms, builtaround an open air courtyard or patio, made of stone, woodor clay bricks.

ANCIENT GREEK HOUSE

Courtyard or patio

Larger homes might alsohave a kitchen, a bathroom, a men'sdining room (Andron), and perhaps a woman'ssitting area(Gynaeceum).

Symposium, social events with food and wine, were held in the andron.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symposium

CLOTHING


Men and women used to wear simple tunics and warm cloaks, made of linen or

wool, dyed a bright color, or bleached white; a belt and sandals.

The ancient Greeks could buy cloth and clothes in the agora, the marketplace, but that was expensive.

Only rich people could wear much jewelry: rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces,…

They used perfume, made by boiling flowers and herbs.

The first real hat, called petasos, wasinvented by the ancient Greeks.

FOOD


•The soil was not very fertile along the coastline. But the ancient Greeks used systems of irrigation to help solve that problem.

• People in the countryside worked in agriculture and were very poor. Many farms were very small.

• All over Greece, the people grew olives, grapes, and figs. They kept goats, for milk and cheese. In the plains, where the soil was more fertile, they also grew wheat to make bread. Fish, seafood, and home-made wine were very popular food items.

• In some of the larger Greek city-states, meat could be purchased in cook shops. But Greeks didn’t use to eat it.

GREEK ECONOMY

AGRICULTURE / FARMING

STOCKBREEDING / RANCHING

FISHING

TRADE

CRAFT WORK

MINING / METALLURGY


ECONOMY IN ANCIENT GREECE


1• Plough the soil, water and fertilize it.

2• Plant the seeds and spray for insects (exterminate

them), so they can’t damage the plants.

3• When the plants ripen, peasants harvest their

fruits.

TYPES OF FARMING

DRY-LAND FARMING

Plants just needthe rainwater togrow. Ex. Olives, vine, wheat,…

IRRIGATED-LAND FARMING

Plants need lots of water to grow. They have to be watered using

canals.

Ex. Most vegetables, fruits, somecereals like rice or corn.



Ancient Greeks didn’t have machines like tractors or combine harvesters to farm. So, it was harder for them to do it.


STOCKBREEDING / RANCHINGIt consists of raising animals to get meat, milk, eggs or fur from them. Farmers feed the animals, control their health and obtain products from them.

TYPES OF STOCKBREEDING

INTENSIVE

Animals are raisedin farms and fed

with feeds.

EXTENSIVE

Animals are raisedoutdoors and fed

with natural grass.


FISHING

It consists of capturing fish and seafood in rivers or seas.

TYPES OF SEA FISHING

NEAR THE COAST

They go fishing bysmall boats.

FAR FROM THE COAST

They go fishing bybig boats (ships).

Fish and seafood can be also raised in fish farms, near the rivers or seas. It didn’t exist in

ancient Greece.

Sailors used to capture the fish and sold it at different

harbours.


TRADEIt consists of exchanging or buying products like fish, fruits,

vegetables, vases, pots, jewellery, clothes,…

LONG DISTANCE TRADE

Rich merchants had ships and sailed across the Mediterranean Sea.

Products from Greek poleis were sold and food, wood and copper

were imported.

They used silver coins (each polis had its own currency)

LOCAL TRADEThere were small shops in Greek

poleis.

Peasants went to the poleis to sell their products (crops).

Craftsmen sold their products in their workshops.

The place where they used to do this was a market called Agora.


CRAFTS

It consists of making pottery (pots, vases… made of ceramics), clothes (made of fabric: leather, linen,…),

furniture (made of wood),… by hand.

Greeks made excellent pottery which they

exported to other poleis (places) by boat or

wagons.

MEANS OF TRANSPORT

CHARIOTS (WARFARE &

RACING COMPETITIONS)

FOOT (mainly)

BOAT

CARRIAGES, WAGONS AND

CARTS (TO CARRY PEOPLE OR

PRODUCTS).

ANIMALS: HORSES, MULES

AND DONKEYS.

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

STENTOROPHONIC HORN

(TO DELIVER MESSAGES TO

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE)

COMMUNICATING TO THE GODS

SPEAKINGWRITTEN

MESSAGES (GREEK

ALPHABET)

SIGNS (Ex.Raising the

torch)

THE GREEK ALPHABET


MINING / METALLURGY

Mining consists of removing minerals and stones from nature. Minerals can be on the surface or underground. Examples: gold,

iron, bronze, silver, copper,…

Metallurgy consists of extracting metals from minerals and alloy them (mix them).

ECONOMY

FORESTRY OPERATION

It consists of cutting down trees to get the wood and planting new ones.

Ancient Greeks didn’t do this.

JOBS IN ANCIENT GREECE

SOLDIER / WARRIOR SAILOR

FISHERMANARCHITECT


SCULPTOR

ACTOR

CRAFTSMAN/ ARTISAN

DOCTOR


PHILOSOPHER

MATHEMATICIAN / SCIENTIST

SLAVE

ASTRONOMER


MUSICIAN

POLITICIAN / LEADER

DANCER / PERFORMER

PEASANT


WRITER(PLAYWRIGHT – THEATRE

POET - POEM)

MINER

CARPENTER

PRIEST / PRIESTESS


BAKER

SMITH MERCHANT / TRADER

FARMER

RELIGION IN ANCIENT GREECE

POLYTHEISTIC

It consists of believing in many gods. Ancient Greeks were polytheistic.In the past, people used to believe in different gods or goddesses to

understand the life events. For instance, Egyptians were polytheistic too.

Monotheistic means that people believe in the existence of one god. Nowadays, most religions are monotheistic, like ours.

FAMOUS BUILDINGS IN ANCIENT GREECE

THE ACROPOLISThe Acropolis is not a single building

but a number of temples build on a hill overlooking Athens. Although there

are many Acropolises (the word meaning high city) in Greece we tend to associate the name with the one in

Athens.

THE PARTHENON•The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. •It is Doric style.• Architects Iktinos and Kallikratesdesigned the temple.• Sculptor Phidias decorated it with sculptures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acropolis_of_Athens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_gods

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena


OLYMPIAOlympia was one of the most

important sanctuaries of ancient Greece although we know it as the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

THE TEMPLE OF HEPHAESTUSIt is located about 500 metres notrh-

west of the famous Acropolis. It is Doric style.


THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO EPICURIUSIt is located at Bassae, in the

Peloponnese. Doric columns form the peristyle while Ionic columns support

the porch and Corinthian columns feature in the interior.

THE ERECHTHEUMThe Erechtheum is an ancient Greek temple of Ionic style on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens.


THE TEMPLE OF POSEIDON It is located at Sounion (Attica peninsula) in Greece and it is surrounded on three sides by the sea. It is Doric style.

THE TEMPLE OF THE OLYMPIAN ZEUSOnly a few columns remain of the Temple of Olympia Zeus in Athens, but it does not take much imagination to realize that this was one gigantic temple. It is Corinthian

style.

THEATRE OF DIONYSUSIt was built around 500 BC on the south of Acropolis, the Theatre of Dionysus is the first theatre to have been constructed in the world and the oldest one in Greece.


CELEBRITIES IN ANCIENT GREECE

PHILOSOPHERSThey were men who looked for wisdom and

wondered about the origin of the things.

Socrates - First of the great Greek Philosophers. He is considered by many to be the founder of Western philosophy.

Plato - Student of Socrates. He wrote many dialogues using Socrates as a major character. He also founded the Academy in Athens.

Aristotle - Student of Plato. Aristotle was a philosopher and scientist. He was interested in the physical world. He was also teacher to Alexander the Great.


WRITERS

PLAYWRIGHTSSophocles - He was probably the most popular playwright during Greek times. He won many writingcompetitions and is thought to have written over 100 plays.

Euripides - The last of the great Greek tragedy writers, Euripides was unique in that he used strong womencharacters and intelligent slaves.

POETAesop – He used to write tales and fables, which are books where characters are animals with human characteristics like speaking, as well as teaching a moral. Historians aren't 100% sure if Aesop really existed or was just a fable himself.

SCIENTISTSArchimedes - He is considered one of the great mathematicians and scientists in history. He made many discoveries both in math and physics including many inventions.

Hippocrates - A scientist of medicine, Hippocrates is called the Father of Western Medicine. Doctors still take the Hippocratic Oath today. He’s considered the 1st

doctor in History.

Pythagoras - A scientist and philosopher, he came up with the Pythagorean Theorem still used today in much of geometry.

Hypatia – She was a greek philosopher born in Egypt (Alexandria). She stood out as a philosopher and astronomer.



POLITICIAN – LEADER

Pericles - A leader and statesman during the golden age of Greece. He helped democracy to flourish and led great building projects in Athens that still survive today.

Alexander the Great - Often called the greatest military commander in history, Alexander expanded the Greek

empire to its greatest size, never losing a battle. He conquered a great empire from the Mediterranean sea

to India. He was the king of Macedon.

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