Everyday Life in Ancient Greece

Everyday Life in

Ancient Greece

By Kate Wilkinson-Brindle
Illustrated by Smitesh Mistry

Introduction and Timeline EEuurrooppee
AAssiaia
Greece is a European country located between Europe,
Africa and Asia. The mainland of Greece is almost GGrreeeeccee
completely surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, and it AAfrfricicaa
also has around 1,400 islands. The history of Greece is
extremely interesting, so let’s travel back in time to find LLooccaattioionnooffGGrreeeeccee
out what life was like in Greece around 2,500 years ago.

750 BCE 447 BCE
The building of
800 BCE The Greek the Parthenon 30 BCE
is completed. The Romans take
The Archaic alphabet is control of Greece.

period begins. invented.

776 BCE 480 BCE 323 BCE Common
Era
The 1st Olympic games The Classical The Hellenistic

is hosted in Greece. period begins. period begins.

Ancient Greek Homes

In ancient Greece, homes were usually built with bricks made from mud. The
bricks were arranged around wooden frames on top of stone foundations.
It’s likely that the roofs of buildings were made from terracotta tiles. Most
homes had windows with shutters to keep the house
cool in the sun.

Ancient Greek homes were often built around
a central courtyard: a place where children
could play safely and where food could be
cooked. Most courtyards had an altar dedicated
to the goddess Hestia, the goddess of the home.

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Ancient Greek Clothes and Fashion

Because of the hot climate in Greece, most Greeks wore
clothing that was light and loose fitting. Both women and
men wore linen tunics called chitons. A chiton was
fastened at the shoulders with pins or brooches and
fastened at the waist with a belt or sash. If the weather was
cooler, Greeks would often wear cloaks made of wool.

The Colour Purple

Wealthy ancient Greeks could afford fabrics that were dyed
with beautiful colours. The most expensive dye colour was purple,
which was made by crushing thousands of sea snails. Rich Greeks
would wear purple clothing to show off their wealth!

Athena Beliefs in Ancient Greece

The ancient Greeks believed that gods and goddesses
lived in a palace in the clouds above the peak of Mount
Olympus – the highest mountain in Greece. Zeus, the
god of thunder and the king of all the gods, was thought
to control the weather. Hera, the queen of the gods, was
worshipped as the goddess of marriage and family. Life
in ancient Greece revolved around many festivals that
involved music, dancing and feasting to honour the gods.

This is the Parthenon, a beautiful, marble
temple built in 447 BCE to honour Athena,
the goddess of war and wisdom.

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Ancient Greek Toys and Games

Archaeologists have discovered many artefacts that show that children in
ancient Greece played with various toys. They found a baby’s rattle in the
shape of a hollow terracotta dog that still contained ancient beads or seeds
inside it! Scenes painted onto ancient Grecian pots also show children
playing with toys. But it wasn’t all fun and games in ancient Greece! Many
children had tutors who taught them how to read and write using a
Greek alphabet.

ΑΑαα ΒΒββ ΓΓγγ ∆∆δδ ΕΕεε ΖΖζζ

ΗΗηη ΘΘθθ ΙΙιι ΚΚκκ ΛΛλλ ΜΜµµ

ΝΝνν ΞΞξξ ΟΟοο ΠΠππ ΡΡρρ ΣΣσσςς

ΤΤττ ΥΥυυ ΦΦφφ ΧΧχχ ΨΨψψ ΩΩωω

Food in Ancient Greece

The main sources of food in ancient Greece were wheat, barley
and olives. Various fruits and vegetables also grew well in
the warm climate. Fish was plentiful, and the wealthier
families could afford to eat meats such as chicken, pork
and beef. Many families kept a goat to give them milk,
which they used to make goat’s cheese – a delicious
addition to the ancient Greek diet. The ancient Greeks
also sweetened their cakes and other foods with honey.
Grain, oil and wine were stored in decorated pots. The
scenes painted onto the pots have helped archaeologists
understand what life was like in Greece thousands of
years ago.

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