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History of Western Civilisation - Tuesday 7th Period: Lecture 4: Greek Culture and Life
[Poll #664022]
So what was this Greek culture that was spread throughout the ancient world, first by the Greeks themselves, then by the Macedonian Alexander, and finally by the Romans who adapted and copies so much of it?
The distinguishing features of ancient Greek society were the division between free and slave, the differing roles of men and women, the relative lack of status distinctions based on birth, and the importance of religion. Only free, native-born men could be citizens entitled to the full protection of the law in a city-state, but unlike in most other governments of the time, being born to a prominent family generally did not give you any special rights. In this sense all citizens were considered equal.
Slaves had no power or status. They had no right to have a family, own property, and had no legal or political rights. Children born into slavery became slaves themselves. Greeks took many slaves from non-Greek peoples, but they also enslaved other Greeks in war. No free Greek is known to have ever advocated the abolition of slavery, and the Greek philosopher Aristotle referred to them as "living tools". By the 5th century BC slaves made up one-third of the total population in some city-states, but slaves almost never revolted because they were made up of too many nationalities and were too scattered to organize.
Most families owned slaves as household servants and laborers, even poor families might own one or two slaves. The city-states themselves also owned slaves, and these public slaves usually had more independence, living on their own and performing specialized tasks like watching for counterfeit coinage or acting as servants of a temple's deity. Unlike in Rome, slaves who were freed did not become citizens. Instead, they were mixed into the population of "metics", which included people from foreign countries or other city-states who were officially allowed to live in the state.
For a long time, the way of life in the Greek city-states remained the same. People living in cities resided in low apartment buildings or single-family homes, depending on their wealth. Residences, public buildings, and temples were situated around the agora. Citizens also lived in small villages and farmhouses scattered across the state's countryside. In Athens, more people lived outside the city walls than inside.
A common Greek household was simple, containing bedrooms, storage rooms, and a kitchen situated around a small inner courtyard and housing a single set of parents and their children. Men were responsible for supporting the family by work or investments in land and commerce. Women were responsible for managing the household's supplies and overseeing slaves, who fetched water in jugs from public fountains, cooked, cleaned, and looked after babies. Men kept separate rooms for entertaining guests because male visitors were not permitted in the rooms where women and children spent most of their time.
Ancient Greek food was simple as well. Poor people mainly ate barley porridge flavored with onions, vegetables, and cheese or olive oil. Few people ever ate meat regularly, except for the free distributions from animal sacrifices at state festivals. Bakeries sold fresh bread daily, while small stands offered snacks. Wine diluted with water was a favored beverage.
Greek clothing changed little over time. Both men and women wore loose tunics. The tunics often had colorful designs and were worn cinched with a belt. People wore cloaks and hats in cold weather, and in warm weather sandals replaced leather boots. Women wore jewelry and cosmetics, especially powdered lead which gave them a pale complexion. Men grew beards until Alexander the Great created a vogue for shaving.
Medicine in Ancient Greece was limited. Hippocrates helped separate superstition from medical treatment in the 5th century BC. Herbal remedies were used to reduce pain, and doctors were able to perform some surgery. But they had no cure for infections, so even healthy people could die quickly from disease at any age.
To keep fit and to be ready for military service, men exercised daily. Almost every city-state had at least one gymnasium, a combination exercise building, running track, bathing facility, lecture hall, and park, open only to males. City-state festivals provided great amounts of entertainment. Gods were honored with competitions in music, drama, poetry, and athletic competitions.
For most of Greek history, education was private and expensive, although during the Hellenistic period, some city-states established public schools. Boys learned to read, write, quote literature, sign, play an instrument, and were trained as athletes for military service. They studied not for a particular job but to become an effective citizen. Girls learned to read, write, and do simple arithmetic so they could manage the household.
A small number of boys continued their education after childhood. While they were teenagers, they studied philosophy as a moral guide in life, and rhetoric to help make persuasive speeches in court of a political assembly -- essential training for any ambitious young man. An important part of a wealthy teenager's education was a mentor relationship with an elder. The teenager learned by watching his mentor talking about politics in the agora, helping him perform his public duties, exercising with him in the gymnasium, and attending symposia with him. The richest students continued their education to college, and went to a university in a large city organized by famous teachers.
As usual, homework is due here today. So far only Ms. Evans has turned in her homework for this week.
This is the last lecture in this section. Next Tuesday is going to be a review discussion section, and a week from tomorrow will be your first exam. All hope abandon, etc., etc.
===============
[[As usual, mad props to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aka_vala for the lecture.
(Sources here, here, and here.)
[[OOC: OCD threads are up. Go ahead and post!]]
So what was this Greek culture that was spread throughout the ancient world, first by the Greeks themselves, then by the Macedonian Alexander, and finally by the Romans who adapted and copies so much of it?
The distinguishing features of ancient Greek society were the division between free and slave, the differing roles of men and women, the relative lack of status distinctions based on birth, and the importance of religion. Only free, native-born men could be citizens entitled to the full protection of the law in a city-state, but unlike in most other governments of the time, being born to a prominent family generally did not give you any special rights. In this sense all citizens were considered equal.
Slaves had no power or status. They had no right to have a family, own property, and had no legal or political rights. Children born into slavery became slaves themselves. Greeks took many slaves from non-Greek peoples, but they also enslaved other Greeks in war. No free Greek is known to have ever advocated the abolition of slavery, and the Greek philosopher Aristotle referred to them as "living tools". By the 5th century BC slaves made up one-third of the total population in some city-states, but slaves almost never revolted because they were made up of too many nationalities and were too scattered to organize.
Most families owned slaves as household servants and laborers, even poor families might own one or two slaves. The city-states themselves also owned slaves, and these public slaves usually had more independence, living on their own and performing specialized tasks like watching for counterfeit coinage or acting as servants of a temple's deity. Unlike in Rome, slaves who were freed did not become citizens. Instead, they were mixed into the population of "metics", which included people from foreign countries or other city-states who were officially allowed to live in the state.
For a long time, the way of life in the Greek city-states remained the same. People living in cities resided in low apartment buildings or single-family homes, depending on their wealth. Residences, public buildings, and temples were situated around the agora. Citizens also lived in small villages and farmhouses scattered across the state's countryside. In Athens, more people lived outside the city walls than inside.
A common Greek household was simple, containing bedrooms, storage rooms, and a kitchen situated around a small inner courtyard and housing a single set of parents and their children. Men were responsible for supporting the family by work or investments in land and commerce. Women were responsible for managing the household's supplies and overseeing slaves, who fetched water in jugs from public fountains, cooked, cleaned, and looked after babies. Men kept separate rooms for entertaining guests because male visitors were not permitted in the rooms where women and children spent most of their time.
Ancient Greek food was simple as well. Poor people mainly ate barley porridge flavored with onions, vegetables, and cheese or olive oil. Few people ever ate meat regularly, except for the free distributions from animal sacrifices at state festivals. Bakeries sold fresh bread daily, while small stands offered snacks. Wine diluted with water was a favored beverage.
Greek clothing changed little over time. Both men and women wore loose tunics. The tunics often had colorful designs and were worn cinched with a belt. People wore cloaks and hats in cold weather, and in warm weather sandals replaced leather boots. Women wore jewelry and cosmetics, especially powdered lead which gave them a pale complexion. Men grew beards until Alexander the Great created a vogue for shaving.
Medicine in Ancient Greece was limited. Hippocrates helped separate superstition from medical treatment in the 5th century BC. Herbal remedies were used to reduce pain, and doctors were able to perform some surgery. But they had no cure for infections, so even healthy people could die quickly from disease at any age.
To keep fit and to be ready for military service, men exercised daily. Almost every city-state had at least one gymnasium, a combination exercise building, running track, bathing facility, lecture hall, and park, open only to males. City-state festivals provided great amounts of entertainment. Gods were honored with competitions in music, drama, poetry, and athletic competitions.
For most of Greek history, education was private and expensive, although during the Hellenistic period, some city-states established public schools. Boys learned to read, write, quote literature, sign, play an instrument, and were trained as athletes for military service. They studied not for a particular job but to become an effective citizen. Girls learned to read, write, and do simple arithmetic so they could manage the household.
A small number of boys continued their education after childhood. While they were teenagers, they studied philosophy as a moral guide in life, and rhetoric to help make persuasive speeches in court of a political assembly -- essential training for any ambitious young man. An important part of a wealthy teenager's education was a mentor relationship with an elder. The teenager learned by watching his mentor talking about politics in the agora, helping him perform his public duties, exercising with him in the gymnasium, and attending symposia with him. The richest students continued their education to college, and went to a university in a large city organized by famous teachers.
As usual, homework is due here today. So far only Ms. Evans has turned in her homework for this week.
This is the last lecture in this section. Next Tuesday is going to be a review discussion section, and a week from tomorrow will be your first exam. All hope abandon, etc., etc.
===============
[[As usual, mad props to
aka_vala for the lecture.(Sources here, here, and here.)
[[OOC: OCD threads are up. Go ahead and post!]]
QUESTIONS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: QUESTIONS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: QUESTIONS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: QUESTIONS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: QUESTIONS: Western Civ Lecture 4
TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
How are you feeling? I feel bad, I never came to see you at the clinic.
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
[ooc: computer issues liek whoa, so I'm not sure I'm going to be back.]
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
OOC: No worries if you're not!
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
OOC: Oh, no! *sympathy*
Re: TALKING IN CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
AFTER CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: AFTER CLASS: Western Civ Lecture 4
OOC: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: OOC: Western Civ Lecture 4
Re: OOC: Western Civ Lecture 4
Whatever is easier for you though. A few extra clicks to see who is there already won't kill me. :D