Ancient greece life, society and culture

LIFE, SOCIETY & CULTURE IN ANCIENT GREECE
(Circa 850 - 300 BC)

SOCIAL PYRAMID
GOVERNMENT
(MALE CITIZENS - DEMOCRACY)
MALE CITIZENS
MALE CHILDREN
WOMEN, FOREIGNERS & FEMALE
CHILDREN
SLAVES
Native free men were the
only citizens.

Men could go to the
theatre to see dramas
performed in honor of the
gods.
Theatres were built outside, usually on
a hillside. All of the actors were men -
they even played the female roles.
Each actor played several parts in the
play by wearing a different mask for
each part. Greeks invented theatre.
Women couldn’t go to the theatre. They used
to be at home. They learned spinning,
weaving, sewing,… Women didn't participate
in politics or public life. Serving as a priestess
in one of the temples was one of the only
public duties that a woman might perform.
In the home, the women's rooms were in the
back, far away from the entrance to the house.
The front rooms were sometimes used by the
men in the household for "symposia"
(banquets). The only women who attended
these parties were the entertainers who played
music and danced for the guests.

Greek houses were
made up of two or
three rooms, built
around an open air
courtyard or patio,
made of stone, wood
or clay bricks.
ANCIENT GREEK HOUSE
Courtyard or patio
Larger homes might also
have a kitchen, a
bathroom, a men's
dining room (Andron),
and perhaps a woman's
sitting area
(Gynaeceum).
Symposium, social events with
food and wine, were held in the
andron.

CLOTHING
Men and women used to wear simple
tunics and warm cloaks, made of linen or
wool, dyed a bright color, or bleached
white; a belt and sandals.
Only rich people could wear much jewelry:
rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces,…
They used perfume, made by boiling flowers
and herbs.
The ancient Greeks could buy cloth and clothes
in the agora, the marketplace, but that was
expensive.
The first real hat, called petasos, was
invented by the ancient Greeks.

FOOD
•The soil was not very fertile along the coastline. But the ancient
Greeks used systems of irrigation to help solve that problem.
• People in the countryside worked in agriculture and were very
poor. Many farms were very small.
• All over Greece, the people grew olives, grapes, and figs. They
kept goats, for milk and cheese. In the plains, where the soil
was more fertile, they also grew wheat to make bread. Fish,
seafood, and home-made wine were very popular food items.
• In some of the larger Greek city-states, meat could be
purchased in cook shops. But Greeks didn’t use to eat it.

AGRICULTURE
/ FARMING
GREEK
ECONOMY
STOCKBREEDING
/ RANCHING
FISHING
TRADE
MINING /
METALLURGY
CRAFT
WORK

ECONOMY IN ANCIENT GREECE
AGRICULTURE / FARMING
1
• Plough the soil, water and fertilize it.
2
• Plant the seeds and spray for insects (exterminate
them), so they can’t damage the plants.
3
• When the plants ripen, peasants harvest their
fruits.

AGRICULTURE / FARMING
TYPES OF
FARMING
DRY-LAND
FARMING
Plants just need
the rainwater to
grow. Ex. Olives,
vine, wheat,…
IRRIGATED-LAND
FARMING
Plants need lots of water to grow.
They have to be watered using
canals.
Ex. Most vegetables, fruits, some
cereals like rice or corn.
Ancient Greeks didn’t have machines like tractors or combine
harvesters to farm. So, it was harder for them to do it.

STOCKBREEDING / RANCHING
It consists of raising animals to get meat, milk, eggs or fur from them. Farmers feed the
animals, control their health and obtain products from them.
TYPES OF
STOCKBREEDING
INTENSIVE
Animals are raised
in farms and fed
with feeds.
EXTENSIVE
Animals are raised
outdoors and fed
with natural grass.

FISHING
It consists of capturing fish and seafood in rivers or seas.
TYPES OF
SEA FISHING
NEAR THE
COAST
They go fishing by
small boats.
FAR FROM THE
COAST
They go fishing by
big boats (ships).
Fish and seafood can be also
raised in fish farms, near the
rivers or seas. It didn’t exist in
ancient Greece.
Sailors used to capture the
fish and sold it at different
harbours.

TRADE
It consists of exchanging or buying products like fish, fruits,
vegetables, vases, pots, jewellery, clothes,…
LONG DISTANCE TRADE
Rich merchants had ships and sailed
across the Mediterranean Sea.
Products from Greek poleis were
sold and food, wood and copper
were imported.
They used silver coins
(each polis had its own currency)
LOCAL TRADE
There were small shops in Greek
poleis.
Peasants went to the poleis to sell
their products (crops).
Craftsmen sold their products in
their workshops.
The place where they used to do
this was a market called Agora.

CRAFTS
It consists of making pottery (pots,
vases… made of ceramics), clothes
(made of fabric: leather, linen,…),
furniture (made of wood),… by
hand.
Greeks made excellent
pottery which they
exported to other poleis
(places) by boat or
wagons.
CHARIOTS
(WARFARE &
RACING
COMPETITIONS)
MEANS OF
TRANSPORT
FOOT
(mainly)
BOAT
ANIMALS:
HORSES,
MULES
AND
DONKEYS.
CARRIAGES,
WAGONS AND
CARTS
(TO CARRY
PEOPLE OR
PRODUCTS).
STENTOROPHONIC
MEANS OF
SIGNS (Ex.
Raising the
torch)
COMMUNICATION
HORN
(TO DELIVER
MESSAGES TO
THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE)
COMMUNICATING
TO THE GODS
SPEAKING
WRITTEN
MESSAGES
(GREEK
ALPHABET)

MINING / METALLURGY
Mining consists of removing minerals and stones from nature.
Minerals can be on the surface or underground. Examples: gold,
iron, bronze, silver, copper,…
Metallurgy consists of extracting metals
from minerals and alloy them (mix them).

ECONOMY
FORESTRY OPERATION
It consists of cutting down trees to get the wood and planting
new ones.
Ancient Greeks didn’t do this.

JOBS IN ANCIENT GREECE
SOLDIER / WARRIOR SAILOR
FISHERMAN
ARCHITECT

SCULPTOR
ACTOR
CRAFTSMAN
/ ARTISAN
DOCTOR

PHILOSOPHER
MATHEMATICIAN /
SCIENTIST
ASTRONOMER
SLAVE

MUSICIAN
POLITICIAN /
LEADER
DANCER / PERFORMER
PEASANT

WRITER
(PLAYWRIGHT – THEATRE
POET - POEM)
MINER
CARPENTER
PRIEST / PRIESTESS

BAKER
FARMER
SMITH MERCHANT / TRADER

RELIGION IN ANCIENT GREECE
POLYTHEISTIC
It consists of believing in many gods. Ancient Greeks were polytheistic.
In the past, people used to believe in different gods or goddesses to
understand the life events. For instance, Egyptians were polytheistic too.
Monotheistic means that people believe in the existence of one god.
Nowadays, most religions are monotheistic, like ours.

FAMOUS BUILDINGS IN ANCIENT GREECE
THE ACROPOLIS
The Acropolis is not a single building
but a number of temples build on a hill
overlooking Athens. Although there
are many Acropolises (the word
meaning high city) in Greece we tend
to associate the name with the one in
Athens.
THE PARTHENON
•The Parthenon is a former temple on the
Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to
the goddess Athena, whom the people of
Athens considered their patron.
•It is Doric style.
• Architects Iktinos and Kallikrates
designed the temple.
• Sculptor Phidias decorated it with
sculptures.

OLYMPIA
Olympia was one of the most
important sanctuaries of ancient
Greece although we know it as the
birthplace of the Olympic Games.
THE TEMPLE OF HEPHAESTUS
It is located about 500 metres notrh-west
of the famous Acropolis. It is
Doric style.

THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO EPICURIUS
It is located at Bassae, in the
Peloponnese. Doric columns form the
peristyle while Ionic columns support
the porch and Corinthian columns
feature in the interior.
THE ERECHTHEUM
The Erechtheum is an ancient Greek
temple of Ionic style on the north side
of the Acropolis of Athens.

THE TEMPLE OF POSEIDON
It is located at Sounion (Attica peninsula)
in Greece and it is surrounded on three
sides by the sea. It is Doric style.
THE TEMPLE OF THE OLYMPIAN ZEUS
Only a few columns remain of the Temple
of Olympia Zeus in Athens, but it does not
take much imagination to realize that this
was one gigantic temple. It is Corinthian
style.

THEATRE OF DIONYSUS
It was built around 500 BC on the south of
Acropolis, the Theatre of Dionysus is the first
theatre to have been constructed in the world
and the oldest one in Greece.

CELEBRITIES IN ANCIENT GREECE
PHILOSOPHERS
They were men who looked for wisdom and
wondered about the origin of the things.
Socrates - First of the great Greek
Philosophers. He is considered by many to be
the founder of Western philosophy.
Plato - Student of Socrates. He wrote many
dialogues using Socrates as a major character.
He also founded the Academy in Athens.
Aristotle - Student of Plato. Aristotle was a
philosopher and scientist. He was interested in
the physical world. He was also teacher to
Alexander the Great.

WRITERS
PLAYWRIGHTS
Sophocles - He was probably the most popular
playwright during Greek times. He won many writing
competitions and is thought to have written over 100
plays.
Euripides - The last of the great Greek tragedy writers,
Euripides was unique in that he used strong women
characters and intelligent slaves.
POET
Aesop – He used to write tales and fables, which are
books where characters are animals with human
characteristics like speaking, as well as teaching a
moral. Historians aren't 100% sure if Aesop really
existed or was just a fable himself.

SCIENTISTS
Archimedes - He is considered one of the great
mathematicians and scientists in history. He made
many discoveries both in math and physics including
many inventions.
Hippocrates - A scientist of medicine, Hippocrates is
called the Father of Western Medicine. Doctors still
take the Hippocratic Oath today. He’s considered the 1st
doctor in History.
Pythagoras - A scientist and philosopher, he came up
with the Pythagorean Theorem still used today in much
of geometry.
Hypatia – She was a greek philosopher born in Egypt
(Alexandria). She stood out as a philosopher and
astronomer.

POLITICIAN – LEADER
Pericles - A leader and statesman during the golden
age of Greece. He helped democracy to flourish and led
great building projects in Athens that still survive today.
Alexander the Great - Often called the greatest military
commander in history, Alexander expanded the Greek
empire to its greatest size, never losing a battle. He
conquered a great empire from the Mediterranean sea
to India. He was the king of Macedon.

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