Comparative Civilization 12

1. Ancient Greece
Domestic Life
By: Tara Bosch

2. Housing
•Typical Greek house
consisted of two stories
with rooms constructed
around a courtyard
•Women in charge of
running household,
•Household played a
significant role in
woman’s life as it was
seen to be more
honorable for woman to
remain indoors rather
than to be outside, and
The gynaikônitis (women's quarters) The andrôn (men's apartment or
was often located on the upper floor of a (banqueting hall) was reserved for men
vice versa for men house only and was often used for entertaining
guests
OU KNOW? Homes often had windows that were high up to prevent thieves

3. Everyday Life
•Woman played a very
domestic role in the
Greek civilization, often
confined to their
households
•Certain occasions
permitted women to
leave the house such as a
funeral, wedding, or
certain religious events
that woman were
permitted to attend
•Children had a
The Greek alphabet, it was the first alphabet created to include relatively easy going life
vowels
until the age of 7 in which
they occupied much of
their time with toys and
YOU KNOW? If Children were sick at birth, they were often put on a hill to
games

4. Marriage
•Women were always under control of a
man, and didn’t have the option to live
alone -> Under the control of her father
or brother until married in which the
control carried over to her husband
• Purpose of marriage was primarily
carried out to further the social status of
a family, and to produce children ( males
were favored)
•Divorce was permitted if a husband made
an announcement of the divorce before
Wedding
witnesses OR if a woman requested a
ceremonies were
Statue of Alcibiades, the divorce through an archonaccompanied by
singing and the
man whom insured that
music of a lyre,
his wife remained with him
where the bride
by force
was escorted by
the groom to his
home
DID YOU KNOW? A woman’s status increased when she gave birth to a boy

5. Farming & Food
•Greeks picked grapes to make wine, they would add water and
squeeze the juice from the grapes
•Soil along coastline wasn’t very fertile, Greeks used systems of
irrigation and crop rotation through-out the year to grow crops,
grew olives, grapes, figs
•In the plains were the soil was more fertile they grew wheat to
make bread
•Kept goats for milk and cheese
•Fishing was a popular way of obtaining food, ate fish such as
sturgeon, eel, octopus
•Didn’t have salt, so used honey as a sweetener instead
The first cultivation of the olive tree world wide took place in Greece, the picture on the right depicts a tree being
harvested
YOU KNOW? Meat was commonly used for religious sacrifices to Gods/Gode

6. Entertainment
•Men often went to the
theatre for entertainment to
view comedies & tragedies.
Plays often involved current
politics and gods in a form.
•Woman were often not
aloud to watch or perform
at the theatre, so it was
common to see male actors
playing woman roles
•Men & woman engaged in
games such as marbles, dice
and checkers
•Olympics in ancient Greece
were held every four years. An ancient vase depicting two Greek men playing
checkers. Their version of checkers was similar to the
The events were taken very modern game of backgammon
seriously and men trained
ID often for variousAncient Greece often played games naked, so girls wer
YOU KNOW? Boys in events such

7. Bibliography
•http://greece.mrdonn.org/dailylife.html
•http://www.woodlands-
junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/greece/dailylife.htm
•http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Life/
•http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/ancientweddin
gs3.html
•http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_g
reeks/home_life/
•http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/greece.htm
•http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/womenandmo
neyinancientathens.htm
•http://www.ancient-greece.us/women.html
•http://webpage.pace.edu/nreagin/F2004WS267/AnnaCho/fi
nalHISTORY.html
•http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wmna/hd_wmna.ht
m