Ancient Greek Facts/Facts In Ancient Greece

In many ways, ancient Greek facts would help us to understand the mechanism of society in the Classical period.

While some common practices such as a distinct division between men and women was there, women were also given some rights as is found in the modern period. Lets take a look.

Men

Free and high born men were the most important part of ancient Greece. The government was run by them. Politics was the main profession and this required the men of the house to stay outside for long periods of time. Agriculture was another important profession. In this case, they would also devote a substantial amount of their time plowing and harvesting crops.

Trading, hunting and sailing were other major activities. Some of the important leisure options men had included the Olympian Games, horse riding and wrestling. Men also enjoyed themselves in parties and women were not allowed entrance to these parties.

Women

It is a true ancient Greek fact that very women were ever allowed outside their houses. The restriction was more pressing in case of women from wealthy homes. In fact, they never even went out to the market. Most of the time, the slaves did the shopping. There were some special occasions however, that the women could attend. These included religious festivals, funerals and weddings.

The main job of the women was to reproduce children and take care of the household. Most of the work was generally done by the slaves and the women of the house supervised their chores. Girls went to school only in Sparta. The duty of male slaves was to guard the women especially when their husbands were away. Gynaeceum was the special part of the house where women lived.

Marriage

Marriage occasions happened in January. An ancient Greek fact is that the wedding ceremonies occurred after the sun had set. The bride had to live with the groom after marriage in Athens. In Sparta however, the groom was not allowed to stay with his wife if he was below thirty years of age. Food and other needs had to be provided by the husband. Divorces were common and women frequently remarried.

Information on: Ancient Greece Facts about Men and Women

Ancient Greek Life History / Ancient Greece Facts for Kids

We owe a lot to Ancient Greek Civilization. History of ancient Greece is a fascinating. On this site, we have given information on various ancient Greek life aspects - Arts, Boys and Girls, Architecture, Dancing, Gods, Myths, Medicine, Inventions, Houses, Government, Religions, Wars, Politics, Weapons and ancient Greece Cities.