Ancient Greek Society

By: Katelyn Abrams, Erik Albertsen, Liam Tonno, Nicole Villalon

Men’s Role in Society:

• In charge of the family and house• Most worked as business men and farmers• Were treated with great respect• For dinner they sat on a couch and were feed

and entertained by slaves in a different room than the rest of the family

• For fun they drank, horseback ridded, wrestled, and watched/participated in Olympic games

Men’s Wardrobe:

• Wore chitons (long

rectangular pieces of

cloth with holes for the

arms and head)

• Actual clothing decorated

based on status

• Richer had better material

Women’s Role in Society:

• Not allowed to eat or sleep in the same room as men

• Could not go to the Olympics or go into the marketplace or city streets

• Ran the household and managed the slaves and also weaved

• Poorer women had no slaves and did all the work themselves; like working the fields

• Could not own their own property• Always under control of a male (father, husband,

brother, or son)

Women’s Wardrobe:

• Wore chitons like the men

• If they were married to a rich man they wore brightly colored wool or linen

• On special occasions they wore makeup and wigs

Children:Boys:• Sent to school at 6 years old• Learned to read, write, add on

the abacus, and enjoyed poetry and music

• Expected to have a healthy mind and body

• At 16 they began to train for their future jobs

• They started training for the army at 7 and entered at 20

Girls:• Grows up in the care of a

nurse• Spent most of their time in the

gynaikoh (women’s quarters)• Learned ancient secret songs

and dances• Sometimes taught to read and

write by their mothers• Married at 15• Father chose the husband,

peasants found their husband on the fields

Marriage Practices (when arriving to the ceremony):

• Ceremonies started after dark• The bride wore a veil • The bride travelled from their house to the

home of the groom in a chariot• Wife’s family follows the chariot with the

gifts• Music was played to scare away the evil

spirits • Friends would carry torches

Marriage Practices (when at the ceremony):

• The bride would eat a piece of fruit

• Had simple ceremonies

• The groom would throw his bride over his shoulder and carry her to show his strength

Divorce:

• Women had to be faithful

• Only men could divorce the women

• For a divorce the man had to make a statement in front of a witness

• If a women really wanted a divorce she had to go to an official (archon) and persuade him to act on her behalf

Trivia Question #1:

• What is the major role of Ancient Greek men in their society?

A)To manage the house and the slave

B)To educate the children

C)To be in charge of the family and the society

D) Both A and C

Trivia Question #2:

• What was one thing that both men and women had in common?

A)They both participated in Olympic games

B)They both wore chitons

C)They both had equal marital rights

D)Nothing

Trivia Question #3:

• How were young boys and girls brought up?

A)Boys trained for future jobs, while girls were taught the household chores

B)They both attended school to choose what they wanted to do later in life

C)Boys trained for the army and the girls trained for jobs like business and farming

D)They frolicked around and did not worry about jobs

Bibliography:• Hemingway, Colette. "Women in Classical Greece". In

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wmna/hd_wmna.htm

• Fisher, Grant, and Cheri Harlan. "BBC - Primary History - Ancient Greeks." BBC - Homepage. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/>.

• "Greek Culture." Crystalinks Home Page. 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.crystalinks.com/greekculture.html>.

Video:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h315HnKWqH4

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vneaat-m0aU