Daily Life in Athens

1. Daily Life in Athens

2. The Economy • Most Athenian citizens were farmers. • They grew things like olives, grapes, and figs. • They planted crops on terraced hillsides. • Terracing means carving small, flat plots of land from hillsides

4. Trade was also a very important part of Athens’s economy. • The Athenian’s used their superior navy to establish colonies along the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black Seas. • They exported olive oil, wine, and other household items, and imported grain and other foods they could not grow.

5. Athenian Home • Athenians built huge temples and public buildings and generally believed that money should be spent on buildings that benefit the whole community.

6. Most people lived in one-story houses made of brick. These houses included: • Courtyards • Living rooms • Dining rooms • Bedrooms • Storerooms • Kitchen

7. Frescoes Paintings done on wet plaster walls

8. They had lamps that burned olive oil. • Dim lighting • They had no plumbing • Athenian families got water from a fountain near the agora (Marketplace).

9. Athenian Family Life • Marriage • Marriage and family were very important to the Athenians. • The main purpose of marriage was to have children. • Parents always arranged marriages • Girls married around age 13 or 14 • A girl’s husband might be twice her age or older

10. Role of Women • Athenian women were considered inferior to men. • They were citizens but they could not own or inherit property. • A woman’s duties included: • Managing the household and slaves • Raising the children

11. Role of the children • The mother took care of the children until age 6. • At about age 7, boys come under the care of a pedagogue. • This was a male slave who helped educate the boys and taught them manners. • They went to school with the boys. • Boys went to school • Girls stayed at home and learned to run a household . • They usually received no further education • Wealthy girls were taught to read and write

12. Education • Athenians placed great value on literacy and education. • The Athenian ideal stressed a sound mind and a healthy body.

13. Elementary School • Families sent their sons to elementary schools for a small fee. • They studied reading , writing, grammar, music, and gymnastics. • Grammar and music were taught to develop the mind • Gymnastics developed the body • They also studied poetry and were required to learn works like the Iliad and Odysseyby heart.

14. Sophist School • Men called Sophists opened these schools for older boys. • Sophists took their name from the Greek work sophos, meaning “wise”. • These boys studied government, math, ethics and rhetoric. • Ethics= the study of what is good and bad and what is moral duty • Rhetoric= the study of public speaking and debating

15. Military Service • At the age of 18 Athenian males received a year of military training. • Young men who could afford armor and weapons became hoplites. • Poor men served in the army’s flanks.