Everyday Life In Ancient Greece

The literary works of Ancient Greeks provide us with great amounts of information about life during this time period, but in addition to this much information has come from the artifacts of this period. Atheian potters used detailed vases to depict the daily life in Greece.

Family Life

Mothers were primarily responsible for raising the children since the fathers were occupied outside the home. Grandfathers often took an active interest in children once they retired from public life. Boys were often named after their grandfathers. Festivals were held after the birth of a child and again when they passed out of infancy.

Education

Formal education began early in childhood and was offered only to boys. Schooling was expensive and thus usually only sons of the wealthy attended. Some boys were taught by private tutors while others went to public GRAMMATIKOS. The state of Athens required that all young males learn to read and write. Boys were also encouraged to improve culturally and physically.

Spartan education was different from that in Athens. The belief here was that the ideal education system would produce highly disciplined soldiers. This tough program began in infanc7y with an inspection that ruled out any potential weaknesses. If a weakness was found the child was often left to die, unless taken in to be raised as a slave. At the age of seven, boys were sent to live in barracks with rigid discipline. The emphasis was placed on physical conditioning, to produce soldiers. Reading and writing were given little time as it was not thought to be important.

Marriage

Greek parents handled the marriage of their children much like a business contract. The family of the bride had to provide a dowry of either money or valuables. The dowry was held in trust for the bride throughout her marriage. If her husband dies or divorces her, the dowry can be used to contract a second marriage.

Women in Ancient Greece

Women in Greek society had few rights and little freedom. Once married, a Greek woman passed from her father into her husband’s keeping. Any possessions she had became the property of her husband. Married women spent most of their time and energy on the management of household affairs. They oversaw the work of household slaves, the finances and also attended to the domestic activities like spinning, weaving and breadmaking. Women were excluded from most important civic activities including military operations, politics and the law.

Spartan women however were allowed to own property and took part in athletic competitions. They were expected to be physically strong to produce great warrior sons.