By: Mary and

Adriana

Ancient Greece started out in 2900 BC when early Aegean cultures started to arrive and appear around what was soon to be ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was destroyed when the Slavs overran Greece in 641 AD. During this time, many important historical events happened. One was that the Trojan War started and ended, and the Olympic games first appeared in Olympia.

Map of Ancient Greece

The land of Greece is made up of a mainland, and numerous islands scattered throughout the Aegean, and Adriatic seas. The land had many mountains with hot and dry summers, and rain only in the winter. The whole country was split up into different communities cut off from each other and often competing for the best land. Each of these places was called a city state, and the people in the community were loyal to it.

The main gods are the Twelve Olympians, and the best known ones, are the Big Three, or also known as the eldest gods named Zeus (king of the gods), Poseidon (god of the seas), and Hades (ruler of the underworld).

In the theater, only men were allowed to be in the plays, so they had to play parts for men and women. Almost all of the theaters were open so the gods could watch and see. Plays were first started too honour the god Dionysus.

The Greeks and their civilization is mostly known for their gods, theater, and for the famous buildings that occupy some of Greece like the famous Parthenon. Also, the first Olympics were hosted in Greece.

The Parthenon was build between 447 and 432 BC. The Parthenon was dedicated to the god Athena, who the Athenians believe to be their protector.

Background of Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Social Structure

In Ancient Greece the government was very important and the citizens had to obey the laws, if they didn’t they get severely punished. Men who were born in Ancient Greece could vote and participate in the government, but people who were foreigners weren’t able to interact with the government at all even though they might have lived in their city-state for more than 10 years. Women were not able to do anything relating to the government, leaving men only to rule the government and its people. Male children had an advantage than female children, because they went to school while girls stayed home and were thought basic skills, like how to clean and cook. Women were less important than men, because men went to school (only wealthy families could afford school) and could participate in the government while women take care of the house, children, cooking and cleaning. In Ancient Greece slaves never got treated right. Slaves couldn’t vote just like women and foreigners and also whenever they disobeyed their masters they could get punished (with a wipe if the master was very strict). Social structure is like a triangle, at the top is the government, then male citizens, male children, women, foreigners, female children and after slaves at the very bottom.

Male Citizens

Slaves

Women/Foreigners/ Female Children

Government

Male Children

In ancient Greece, the home was a place to focus on family life. Like it is today, a home in Greece was meant for sleeping, cooking, meals, and personal hygiene. The ancient Greeks built their houses from sun-dried mud bricks laid on stone foundations. The roofs were covered with pottery tiles. Rooms were arranged around an open courtyard so that cool air could build up and circulate through the rooms during the heat of the day. Each house had a male head of the house. His wife would run the day to day activities within the house and made many important decisions within that, but the families head person always had the final say in things. An average house that a family would live in would be within a modest size, and usually was kept looking good on the inside and out. Many houses had courtyards where they have no roofs, so the gods could hear their prayers. Two of the more uncomfortable rooms were the kitchen and bathroom mostly because of the size. The master and his wife occupy the largest room which made the term master bedroom. The children would share a room, and the eldest child might have their own room. Slaves and servants would also share a room.

Rich Mans House

Average Home

Housing

How Did The Wealthy Live? Wealthy people in Ancient Greece had a house that included several rooms and two storeys. Usually in a house the women would be away from the men so on the second storey women had only their bedrooms there; it was some place where women could be away from men. Rich Ancient Greeks would have many parties that were held in the living room.

Wealthy ancient Greeks had slaves to all the cleaning and even grocery shopping. Women would rarely leave the house; all their duties were inside. Men would go to work all day while the women would take care of the children (if they had any that didn’t go to school), cook (sometimes the slave would cook) and take care of taxes. Wealthy families in Ancient Greece could send their children to school, so they could learn and get a good job when they would mature. Also wealthy Ancients Greeks could afford meat and vegetables which back then was very pricey.

Ancient Greek Party

In ancient times, the Greeks worked very hard to try and produce enough, but often they couldn’t which formed many famines during the dark ages. Gripe vines grew well on terraced hills, and olive trees thrived in poor soil, but there was always the problem of needing more flat, fertile land for growing wheat and barley. Most of the time, they shipped in those supplies from ancient Egypt. The people ate greens such as cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and dandelion leaves, and also ate root vegetables such as radishes, carrots and onions. Eggs, goat’s milk cheese, almonds, figs and other fruit were also available for most of the time. Squid, sea urchin, fish and shellfish were plentiful and provided protein, because meat was rare, and only the wealthy and those who hunted could afford them. The Greeks sweetened their cakes and pastries with honey. Seasonings including things like mint, and marjoram.

Food

Ancient Greek Family Life

In a ancient Greek home, women

ran the household chores with the help

of slaves. Women had to obey their

fathers, husbands, brothers or sons. A

father could abandon his newly born

child if he wanted too. He might do this

if the baby was sick, but sometimes,

healthy baby girls were abandoned as

well. Women married at about the age

of 15, while men married at thirty or

older. The father of the woman chose

the soon to be husband, and gave him

valuables and money to save for the

wife in case he died before she did, or

they got a divorce. Sometimes a bride

met her husband for the first time on

their wedding day. Men and their wife

usually had separate quarters.

Ancient Greek Marriage Weddings in ancient Greece were a major part of a persons life. They are especially important for the bride to be. The weddings were usually arranged by the brides parents. The marriage symbolized

• Love

• Mutual respect

• Equality

• Sacrifice

The weddings consisted of three main parts

• Pre-wedding ceremonies

• The actual weddings

• The post wedding ceremonies

This way, the wedding took about three days to complete. According to many people, Greeks usually married during the winter. Women married between 13 to 16, and men married between 30 and after because they were done in the military after that age. On the day of the wedding, the bride had to throw out all of her toys and other childhood items. The reception was like a modern day one with food, dances, and other things like that. Wealthy families arrived in horse drawn carriages, and the poor arrived in carts. Some people think, that the wedding was meant to pass the bride from one `owner` to another. A dowry was when the bride brought gifts and valuables to the husband. It was easy to a man to divorce a wife, but much more complicated for a woman to divorce her husband.

Childbirth Practices

Birth processes in Ancient Greece were difficult and many women died in the process. Hospitals did not exist so delivery took place in the home of the pregnant woman. There was a midwife along with other women to help. Religion was a big part of birth. Women in labour often called upon the goddess Artemis who had the ability to bring new life into the world easier. If the birth went well, the mother would make a sacrifice to Artemis. Herbs were used heavily, and different ones were used for different things.

Ancient Greek Childhood Children in Ancient Greece were not part of their family until five days later after birth. If the baby’s parents did not want the child, the child would instantly turn into a slave or the family could abandon the baby (they abandon girls more than boys). On the fifth day there is a celebration of the child where he or she becomes part of their family. In some Ancient Greek cities people would wrap they baby in cloth until they were two years old, so they would have strong and straight limbs. The family would usually care more for the son than daughter because back then in Ancient Greece men were more important than women. This is because men could only go to schools while women were taught basic skills like cooking, cleaning and reading. Ancient Greek girls got married at the ages of 13-16 to men who were 20-30. When a son or a daughter disobeyed their parents or didn’t do what they asked, then instantly they would get punished very severely (with a whip sometimes).

A whip Ancient Greek child

Comparing Ancient Greek Childhood

with Canadian Childhood Ancient Greek childhood is very different from childhood in Canada. In Ancient Greece only boys from wealthy families got to go to school because back then girls only needed to know how to run their house and basic skills like reading and writing. But here in Canada both girls and boys go to school and nowadays you don’t pay that much for school but you still pay a little bit to the government through taxes. This is because our government believes that women and men should have education and have a right to learn and become successful in the future. Also the government believes that every child should have an education, either you are male or female everybody has rights to learn and have knowledge that you are able to use in the future and or in the present. Back in Ancient Greece if child disobeyed their parents they would get severely punished with a whip sometimes if the parents were very strict. In Canada a child could still get punished if they didn’t listen to their parents (grounded), but not as severely like in Ancient Greece because in Canada we have child services. Also in Sparta, young boys from the age of 7 were trained to become soldiers and also were taught to fight in the war instead of having an education. Here in Canada men volunteer to fight for our county, they go to war at the age of 20-35, but also in Canada education always comes first.

A Canadian Boy Studying.

Ancient Greek Warrior

Ancient Greek Education In Athens boys start going to school when they reach the age of 7, while girls don’t go to school but are taught the basic reading and writing skills at home along with sewing and weaving. Only wealthy families could afford for their sons to go to school. In Sparta boys were taught to be tough and to not show their emotions. They slept on hard beds without any covers, they never had enough food to eat and they were taught survival skills and how to be a good solider. Reading and writing were not as important as training to be a warrior or solider. At the ages of 18 or 20 Ancient Greek Sparta boys would have to pass a test. If they failed the test they would turn into perioidos; a person who had no political rights and was not even a citizen of their city. If they passed the test then they would kept training to be a warrior or solider. The military service ended when then men turned 60.

A classroom of Ancient Greek boys learning.

Ancient Greek Religion Ancient Greek religion was based on polytheism which means that there was a assumption that there were many gods and goddesses. Each city-state worshipped its own god. Athens had Athena, Sparta had Artemis, Corinth had Aphrodite, Delphi and Delos had Apollo, Olympia had Zeus, and so on onto the smaller towns. Some gods became gods after books were written, so many people were unaware of them like Dionysus. The people of ancient Greece also believed that once and a while, a god would come and interact with humans, and produce children that are called demigods, or half-bloods. These kids are half human half god. The people of Greece worshipped in temples that were dedicated to the gods. People sacrificed animal blood to make the gods happy.

On Mount Olympus • Zeus - King of the Gods

• Hera - Queen of the Gods

• Aphrodite - goddess of love and beauty

• Apollo - god of light, truth, healing,

archery, music, poetry

• Ares - god of war

• Artemis - goddess of hunt, moon, children

• Athena - goddess of wisdom, war,

patriotism and good citizenship

• Demeter - goddess of grain, agriculture,

fertility

• Dionysus - god of wine, vegetation, and

theater

• Hades - god of the underworld

• Hephaestus - god of forge and fire

• Hermes - messenger of the gods, god of

motion, travelers, commerce, thieves, and

sheep

• Hestia - goddess of the hearth and home

• Poseidon - god of the sea, earthquakes,

and horses

Main Gods and Goddesses

There were, at various times, fourteen different gods recognized as Olympians, though never more than twelve at one time. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, and Artemis are always considered Olympians. Hestia, Demeter, Dionysus, and Hades are the variable gods among the Twelve. Hestia gave up her position as an Olympian to Dionysus in order to live among mankind (eventually she was assigned the role of tending the fire on Mount Olympus). Persephone spent six months of the year in the underworld (causing winter), and was allowed to return to Mount Olympus for the other six months in order to be with her mother, Demeter. And, although Hades was always one of the principal Greek gods, his home in the underworld of the dead made his connection to the Olympians more tenuous. The Olympians gained their control in the world of gods after Zeus led his siblings to victory in war with the Titans; Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, and Hades were siblings; all other Olympians (with the exception of foam-born Aphrodite) are usually considered the children of Zeus by various mothers, except for Athena, who in some versions of the myth was born of Zeus alone. Additionally, some versions of the myth state that Hephaestus was born of Hera alone as Hera's revenge for Zeus' solo birth of Athena. There are many different creatures and gods that live on Mount Olympus, or have a throne there. Some other things that live there that aren't gods like nymphs and Pegasus.

Poseidon Poseidon is the god of the sea, and is also known as “Earth-Shaker. He is also the father to horses. His symbol is a trident, fish, dolphin, horse, or a bull. His consort Amphitrite, and his parents are Cronus and Rhea. He had three sons that were heroes named Theseus who was famous for killing the minotaur, Triton, and Polyphemus. Almost every Greek god has a Roman equivalent who is sort of like them. Poseidon's is Neptune, god of the same things. Poseidon was relied on to help sailors have a safe voyage. Men often drowned horses in is honour to convince him to make their ships sailing smooth. He lived on the ocean floor in a palace made of coral and gems and had a chariot pulled by horses. Poseidon was sometimes very moody, and when that happened, it resulted in violence and stormy oceans.

Ποσειδώνας

Temple of Poseidon

Ancient Greek Clothing In Ancient Greece men wore chitons and tunics. The tunic was usually knee length, which was made from wool or linen and hanged on one shoulder. A chiton looks very similar to a tunic, but it can have sleeves while a tunic is one shouldered. Due to the fact Ancient Greece was very hot back then; the idea of having a tunic that hanged from one shoulder and had a length to your knee was smart and very useful. This way men wouldn’t sweat that much during the day. Women wore a peplos, similar to a chiton but the length covered the feet and hangs on two shoulders. A peplos was made from wool, but Wealthy Ancient Greek women could afford having their peplos made from silk, expensive linen, patterns and bright colors. Women’s material was lighter than men’s material. This is because women had clothing that covered their feet which caused a lot of sweating, but with light material women wouldn’t sweat as much as before rather than men have clothing that only ran down to their knees.

Athena wearing a peplos. Statue wearing a chiton.

Not many men and women could afford shoes; so they traveled with no shoes and or they went barefoot everywhere. Wealthy men and women of Athens could afford sandals that were made from cloth and sometimes leather. In Sparta men who were training to be soldiers didn’t wear shoes to show how tough they were. Now a day’s many women and teenagers wear Gladiators which are quiet similar to sandals that Ancient Greek men and women wore.

Women’s Gladiators

Art and Music People in ancient Greece loved music,

and made it an important part of their lives.

Greek people thought of music as a way of

honouring the gods, and making the world a

more human, civilized place. The Greeks had

many different instruments. hey had pipes, and

lyres, and drums, and cymbals. Their pipes

were made from wood or reeds, with holes cut

in them for your fingers to play the tune. Some

were played vertically, like a recorder, and some

were played sideways, like a flute. Sometimes

people played more than one pipe at a time.

Pipes and drums were played in a loud, lively

way, for dancing, and people played this music

when they were worshipping Dionysus, the god

of wine and parties. The Greeks also had lyres,

which are like small harps, and might have

sounded something like a guitar. According to

the Greek story, the first lyre was made from a

turtle shell by the god Hermes when he was a

baby, and then Hermes gave it to Apollo. Apollo

was the god of reason and logic, and the

Greeks thought of music as a great expression

of order and patterns. Lyre music was played

calmer, and more soothingly, than the pipes and

drums.

The ancient Greeks enjoyed all different kinds of art. They are especially famous for their sculptures, including their statues and vases. The vases often had scenes from the Olympics or pictures of musical instruments painted on them. The best artists in ancient Greece sculpted statues of important people in Greek history. he Ancient Greeks made pottery for everyday use. Most surviving pottery consists of drinking vessels such as amphorae, kraters (bowls for mixing wine and water), hydria (water jars), libation bowls, jugs and cups. Painted funeral urns have also been found. Miniatures were also produced in large numbers, mainly for use as offerings at temples. paintings normally depicted figural scenes, including portraits. They were collected and often displayed in public spaces. Most Greek sculptures were painted in strong and bright colors. The paint was frequently limited to parts depicting clothing, hair, and so on, with the skin left in the natural color of the stone, but it could also cover sculptures in their totality. The painting of Greek sculpture should not merely be seen as an enhancement of their sculpted form, but has the characteristics of a distinct style of art.

Ancient Greek Festivals Ancient Greece had many festivals. A couple of them are Thesmophoria and The Ancient Olympic Games. Thesmophoria is celebrated by women of Ancient Greece. This festival was in respect of Demeter the Goddesses of Harvest and her Daughter Persephone. Only non-virgin women celebrated this festival, while men worked and or stayed at home. Thesmophoria was celebrated in Pyanepsion (late October and or early November), the festival lasted three days. During Thesmophoria, the women there would sacrifice pigs to symbolize the kidnapping of Persephone. They put pigs into a pit where usually in Ancient Greece snakes would be and watch the serpents eat the pigs. Whatever was left the participants of the Thesmophoria would eat on the third day of festival at the big feast.

Ancient Greek women throwing a pig into a pit.

Ancient Olympic Games

Citizens of Ancient Greece made the Olympic Games to honor Zeus. Strong men from all different city-states and other close lands (Black Sea, Mediterranean) were welcome to the games. The Olympic Games started in 776 BC in Olympia in Ancient Greece, the games were held every four years. On Olympia there was a statue of Zeus, so he could watch and supervise the games. Unlike the modern Olympics, the Ancient Greek Olympics were always held in Olympia. Also the Ancient Greek Olympics had fewer events and the prize of winning an event was an olive wreaths and or a crown. During the games 100 oxen were sacrificed to Zeus. Some events in the Olympics are racing, wrestling and chariot racing. If athletes wanted to participate in the games the place they come from had to have a truce with other competitors, so if they were in war with each other they would stop so athletes could go and travel to Olympia. Each city-state would pay for their contestant but he (the competitor) had to have been trained for 10 months to get in the games. If you were a slave and or if you disobeyed the gods, you couldn’t participate in the games. This means only wealthy men could attend the games. In the year 393 AD, a Roman Emperor Theodosius banned the Ancient Greek Olympic Games. Nowadays we have the Olympic Games but instead of chariot racing and running we have winter and summer sports.

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Statue of Zeus

Conclusion

Overall, ancient Greece it a fascinating place filled with mountains, art, music, myths that have spread all over the world to make new stories, and many other things that have influenced our own culture today. Some of those things are democracy that was first introduced in Greece, and food that many people all over the world still enjoy. Ancient Greece is full of wonderful experiences that any person would have enjoy visiting.

Bibliography picture • How Did The Wealthy Live?: • http://195.176.180.15:82/medina/courses/cm0910/group4/pages/poc.php?ID_POC=4&ID_Lang=1#basso – Ancient Greek Party • http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/dunkle/athnlife/domestic.htmm - Ancient Greek House • Ancient Greek Childhood: • http://greece.mrdonn.org/kids.html- Ancient Greek child • Clip Art- A whip • Comparing Ancient Greek Childhood with Canadian Childhood: • http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Greek_hoplite.png - Ancient Greek Warrior • Clip Art- A Canadian Boy Studying • Ancient Greek Education: • http://www.glogster.com/glog.php?glog_id=14102276&scale=54&isprofile=truee – A classroom of Ancient Greek boys learning. • Ancient Greek Clothing: • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acropole_Mus%C3%A9e_Ath%C3%A9na_pensante.JPG – Athena wearing a peplos • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Young_man_exomis_Musei_Capitolini_MC892.jpg - Statue wearing a chiton. • http://womens-gladiator-shoes.yolasite.com/ - Women’s Gladiators • Ancient Greek Festivals: • http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~tcf/pictures/thesmo.gif - Ancient Greek women throwing a pig into a pit. • Ancient Greek Olympic Games: • http://www.bible-history.com/ibh/Greek+Customs/Games/Chariot+Racing – Ancient Greek Chariot Racing • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_of_Zeus.jpg – Statue of Zeus

• Map of Ancient Greece: • http://www.kusadasi.tv/titans-myths-ancient-greece.html - map • http://www.eastchester.k12.ny.us/schools/ms/teachers/hill/AncientGreece.htm -map • Clip Art- Trojan horse • Childbirth Practices: • http://www.wellsphere.com/cancer-article/women-s-work-i/466588 • http://www.jashford.com/Pages/birthnotecards.html

Picture Bibliography 2 • Title Page: • http://www.crystalinks.com/greeksacredsites.html -Hephaestus Temple • Clip Art- theater, paintings • http://www.primaryclassroomresources.co.uk/teaching-resources/Ancient-Greece-Display-Set.html -daily life • Background of Ancient Greece: • http://www.howstuffworks.com/parthenon-and-the-acropolis-landmark.htm - Parthenon • http://natashaelkhoury10dramadw.wikispaces.com/home -theater • http://fyreangyl.tripod.com/Mythology/gods.htm -12 Olympians • Housing: • http://www.kidsgen.com/school_projects/different_homes.htm -house1 • http://havoc20.wordpress.com/2011/02/27/stone-textures/ -house2 • Food: • Clip Art- Greek Food • http://www.bestourism.com/items/di/1073?title=Greece&b=209 –food • Ancient Greek Family Life: • http://cwest-domesticconfusion.blogspot.com/2010/10/very-tight-crawl-space-into-depths-of.html -family • Ancient Greek Marriage: • http://mkatz.web.wesleyan.edu/Images2/cciv243.papertopics.html -wedding • Art and Music: • http://au.greekreporter.com/2011/03/29/museum-of-ancient-greek-musical-instruments-travels-to-australia/- art/instruments • Poseidon: • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon - Poseidon • Conclusion: • http://www.pageandmoy.co.uk/destinations/europe/southern-europe/greece/the-treasures-of-ancient-greece/ -theater and temple • Clip Art- tile

Website Bibliography Information

• http://www.crystalinks.com/greeksacredsites.html

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Book Bibliography Information

• Pearson, Anne. Ancient Greece. New York: DK Publishing, 2004.

• Nardo, Don. Life in Ancient Greece. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, 1996.

• Simpson, Judith. Ancient Greece. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1996.

• Powell, Anton. Ancient Greece. New York: Facts on File, 1989.

• Robinson, Charles Alexander. Ancient Greece. New York: F Watts, 1984.

• Ross, Stewart. Daily Life. Lincolnwood, Ill: P. Bedrick Books, 1999.

• Schomp, Virginia. The Ancient Greeks. New York: Benchmark 1996.