Discovering Ancient Greece

Discovering Ancient Greece — page 5 — DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE е ро ON 0 0 0 A ceramic plate depicts a battle between Menelaus king of Sparta and the Trojan hero Hector In the legendary conflict known as the Trojan War the early Greeks defeated the people of Troy and became a strong sea power But the most powerful military city state was Sparta with its superior army All male Spartan citizens between the ages of twenty and sixty served in the army IO

Discovering Ancient Greece — page 6 — DAILY LIFE Life at Home Women and Children Women in ancient Greece spent their days at home They spun wove and performed other household chores The houses were made of sun dried brick and stood on narrow winding streets There were usu ally several rooms surrounding a private courtyard The rooms included separate apartments for men and women as well as tiny bedrooms Homes in ancient Greece were designed around a courtyard that provided a place for women to enjoy fresh air and for chil dren to play They also included separate living quarters for men and women II

Discovering Ancient Greece — page 7 — DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE The courtyard allowed women to enjoy the outdoors without leaving the home and also provided a place for the chil dren to play Children in ancient Greece had many of the same kinds of toys that children today play with These included rattles clay animals horses pulled on a string yo yos and dolls EDUCATION IN ANCIENT GREECE School in ancient Greece was different from what we are used to today Boys typically went to school at age seven In Athens boys studied math and science as well as reading and writing music literature and debate Girls in Athens did not attend school Instead their mothers taught them how to sew cook and run a household In Sparta boys were taught to be soldiers Instead of learning music and literature they were drilled each day in gymnastics and mili tary exercises They learned to endure pain and hardship without complaint and to obey orders absolutely and without question Even the girls in Sparta learned to be warriors They were trained to wrestle fistfight and handle a weapon in case they needed to protect Sparta while the men were away at war 12

Discovering Ancient Greece — page 8 — DAILY LIFE Servitude Life as a Slave Slave labor produced much of the wealth that gave the citizens of Athens time and money to pursue art and learning and to serve the state Slaves in ancient Greece were not born into servitude Most were foreigners captured in war or kidnapped in barbarian Or non Greek lands A slave was not permitted to get married or to have children without the approval of his or her owner Female slaves often acted as nan nies to the children They also carried out general housework such as cooking and cleaning Male slaves were required to do outdoor jobs such as working in the fields A slave guiding a chariot is depicted caring for horses on this fresco from the vaulted ceiling of an ancient Greek tomb in what is now Bulgaria 13

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