Ancient Greece Society and Culture II

Marriage

· Greek parents negotiated a betrothal in a manner similar to that of a business contract

· The bride’s family had to provide a dowry of either money or valuables (the higher the dowry, the more attractive the offer of marriage)

· On the wedding day, separate feasts were held in the homes of the bride and the groom

· On the evening of the wedding, family members showered the couple with nuts and sweetbreads to symbolize prosperity

Women in Ancient Greece

· Women had few rights and little freedom

· Their possessions became the property of their father and then their husband

· If the husband died, a wife reverted to the charge of her father

· Married women spent their time and energy on the management of the household affairs

· They oversaw the household slaves, handled the finances, spinning, weaving and breadmaking

· They lived in separate quarters from the men

· They ate separately

· They could not appear in public alone, they must always have an attendant

· Spartan women were slightly better off in that they could own property and took part in athletic competitions

· Young Spartan girls endured hardships similar to the boys to ensure they were fit to be mothers of the future great warriors of Sparta.

Urban and Rural Living

· The marketplace was located in the center of the city and was the focus of Athenian life

· Government buildings stood around this noisy square

· People conducted business and friends gathered to talk in the marketplace

· Country people brought their produce here to sell

· Onions, spices, garlic, wine, books, potters and hats were on one side of the marketplace

· Barbers, bankers, money changers and fishmongers were on the other side

· Homes were built of unbaked brick with ceramic tile roofs

· Homes had no windows opening to the street

· The central courtyard was constructed to provide shade in summer and shelter in winter

· The daily diet of ancient Greeks consisted of fish, eggs and cheese

· Milk was considered fit only for animals or “barbarians”

· Working class citizens ate broth and barley-meal porridge

Agriculture

· Started in the early history of ancient Greece

· They were able to produce enough food for their population despite the dry summers or growing season

· Two important Greek agriculture activities were stockbreeding and market gardening

· They grew crops to trade, such as olives and grapes for wine

· In the market gardens they grew fruit, figs, peas, onions, cabbage and lentils

Trade

· Shipping became important to the city-states of ancient Greece after the period of colonization

· Most of the Greek states used coins as their medium of exchange

· The Greek merchants sailed every corner of the Mediterranean, where they traded with Spanish tribes

· The classical period as Athens import grain, timber, salt fish, wines, slaves, drugs, paints and pottery

· Athens built a fleet of merchant ships to help bring back food supplies

· Athens also created a great navy

Industry

· The enterprises first began as small, private workshops of independent laborers, assisted by family and slaves

· These craftspeople handed down their expertise to family members from generation to generation

· Corinth was noted for metal work

· Miletus was known for woolen textiles and furniture

· Magera was renowned for fine cloaks

· Athens became famous for fine painted pottery

Architecture

· Greek architecture was concerned with harmony and unity

· Some of the most remarkable buildings constructed in ancient Greece were the temples

· Symmetry and proportion were key principles in Greek architectural design

· In a temple the decorated area between the top of the column and the roof, often carved of stone is the frieze

· Each stone slab was decorated with three carved vertical lines

· The columns developed in three specific styles – Doric, Ionic and Corinthian (see page 184 of Prologue to the Present)

Astronomy

· The ancient Greeks made advances in this field and the measurement of time

· They knew that the earth was round and that the moon went around it

· Greek astronomers were only six minutes and twenty-six seconds off in their calculations for the length of a solar year

· They calculated how long it would take to travel around the earth

· It took the moon 29 days, 12 hours, 44minutes and 2.5 seconds to travel around the earth

· They had developed a luni-solar calendar that had 354 days of 12 lunar months

· Each month began with a new moon

They added an extra month to keep an arrangement with the season

Mathematics

· Mathematics was widely studied and taught in ancient Greece

· Five geometric theorems were discovered by Thales of Miletus

· His knowledge improved navigation

· Pythagoras studied the pattern of numbers and worked with the triangle (hint – Pythagorean theorem anyone?)

· The area and diameter of the circle were worked on by Archinedes

· Archimedes shouted “Eureka” when he realized the answer behind water displacement

Medicine

· Greeks learned much of their knowledge from the Egyptians

· Medicine included a great deal of spirituality

· Many remedies seemed to work and the grateful patients set up tables displaying carved images of ears, eyes and other body parts which had been cured

· Doctors started to use herbs, drugs and ointments strategically to deal with specific symptoms

· They believed that diet and exercise as well as patient comfort were important components of the healing process

· Hippocrates was a famous doctor who worked with epilepsy and other medical methods

Literature

· The Iliad and The Odyssey were written during the dark ages and they helped to create the national literature for ancient Greeks

· Poems became a big part of the education system

· Another form of poetry was lyric poems about love and were meant to be sung

· Fables were poems about animals and were used to teach morals to children

Theatre

· Productions of Greek tragedies and comedies attracted thousand of spectators to annual drama competitions

· Greek theatre was an outdoor event

· The site chosen for the construction was always on a sloping area where a natural theatre could be built

· The Greek drama properties were kept to a minimum because what was said was considered far more important than what was seen

· The earliest plays may have started with only a chorus of men dancing in a ring, reciting a mythological story

Sculpture

· The sculptors in ancient Greece sculpted the form of the human body

· In 675 Bc the figures of the sculptures looked unnatural

· The hair looked liked a wig clothing was represented by a few simple lines or folds

· They improved on the human form by paying attention to the movement and appearance of their models

· Most of the sculptures were of nude males, gods and goddess

· They began sculpting with stone and move on to bronze

Philosophy

· Philosophy – the study of the truth and principles that underline all knowledge

· In classical Greece there was a great deal of debate over issues relating to personal conduct and morality

· Three of the most important Greek philosophers were Socrates, Plato and Aristotle

Socrates

· Lived during the height of Athenian power

· He was a well known figure in the streets of Athens and was easily recognized because of his rolling walk, snub nose, shaggy eyebrows and bulging eyes

Plato

· One of Plato’s main interests was politics

· His book The Republic explores the ideal state or government

· This was the first book ever written on political science

Aristotle

· Contributed to the field of science

· He built on the work of an earlier Greek scientist, Thales of Miletus, and the idea of the scientific method