Manners & Customs

Women and Marriage in Ancient Greece

The Greeks thought that Cecrops, one of the early kings of Athens -- one who wasn't entirely human, was responsible for civilizing mankind and establishing monogamous marriage. Men were still free to establish relations with courtesans and prostitutes, but with the institution of matrimony, lines of heredity could be established, and marriage estab...

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Daily Life

Children lived with their mothers in the women's quarter until they were 7 years old. They slept in wicker baskets or wooden cradles.The children played with balls, miniature chariots, rattles, yo-yos, rocking horses, and dolls and animals made from clay. Many had pets. They especially liked dogs. Other pets included ducks, quail, birds, goats, tor...

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Greek Culture

The ancient Greeks were a deeply religious people. They worshipped many gods whom they believed appeared in human form and yet were endowed with superhuman strength and ageless beauty. The Iliad and the Odyssey, our earliest surviving examples of Greek literature, record men's interactions with various gods and goddesses whose characters and appear...

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Ancient Greek Wedding

Weddings in ancient Greece were a major part of a person's life, especially for the bride-to-be. The weddings were usually arranged by the bride's parents (Kitto 220). In ancient Greece, there usually was a certain time when couples decided to marry. According to Flacelière (62), Greeks married during the winter. However, various superstitions say...

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Home Life in Ancient Greece

In Athens, wives of citizens enjoyed no more political or legal rights than slaves. Yet, though a married Athenian woman might be confined to her house, here at least she enjoyed absolute authority subject to the consent of her lord and master. To slaves, she was the mistress. Young girls rarely left the women's quarters - the gynaikeon. While marr...

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Ancient Greece

Politics, Heroes, Language, Education, Science and Medicine, etc. Facts about Ancient Greece from Discovery Channel...

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Marriage in Ancient Greece

In the ancient Greek society, marriage was regarded as an auspicious relationship. Marriage was very important to carry family chain.n the Greek culture, every respectable woman became a wife if she could. In marriage, there was hardly room for choice. Destiny played an important role in solemnizing marriage....

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Ancient Athenian Women

What was the role of women in Athens? To live, controlled by the men in their lives. Their father controlled them before they were married. Their spouse controlled them once they were married . What did girls do? They learnt to read- in school or at home. They learnt important household skills-spinning, weaving, sewing, cooking and other household ...

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Marriage (Gamos) in Ancient Greece

How Athenian Marriages are Arranged.--Over this typical Athenian home reigns the wife of the master. Public opinion frowns upon celibacy, and there are relatively few unmarried men in Athens. An Athenian girl is brought up with the distinct expectation of matrimony.[*] Opportunities for a romance almost never will come her way; but it is the busine...

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Ancient Greek Education

The Greek Gods were much more down-to-earth and much less awesome than the remote gods of the East. Because they were endowed with human qualities and often represented aspects of the physical world--such as the sun, the moon, and the sea--they were closer to man and to the world he lived in. The Greeks, therefore, could find spiritual satisfaction...

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