Daily Life in Athens Chapter 5 – Section 4

The Athenian Economy Most Athenians farmed olives, grapes and figs on terraced land, which were small, flat plots carved from hillsides. The Athenian assembly voted to send traders through the Mediterranean Sea area, spreading their culture. Colonies imported (brought in goods from other places) and exported (sent goods to other places) goods. Trade was the mainstay of Athens’s economy.

Home and Family Life Athenians built magnificent temples and other buildings. Most Athenians believed that money should be spent on public buildings, not on private homes. Homes were centered around a courtyard and included a living room, dining room, storage rooms, bedrooms and a kitchen.

Residents filled water jars at a fountain near the agora. Parents always arranged marriages, and girls married as young as 13. If parents could not afford to raise a child, the baby was left to die – especially if it were a girl.

Women had few rights in Athens, and were considered inferior to men. At age seven, boys fell under the care of their pedagogue, a male slave who taught the boy manners. Athenian girls stayed home and learned to run a household, but usually received no formal education. However, some daughters of wealthy families were taught to read and write.

Education and Military Service Most Greeks were poor and hardworking. Wealthy men spent their time in pursuit of intellectual and physical excellence. They engaged in politics and gossip in the marketplace.

Athenian boys studied many subjects, and memorized poems, including the Iliad and the Odyssey. Grammar and music developed the mind of the Athenians, while gymnastics developed the body. In the 400s B.C., Sophists opened schools for older boys, and taught basic subjects in addition to ethics and rhetoric.

Ethics deals with what’s right and wrong, while rhetoric was the study of public speaking. Education helped spread the Greek language throughout the Mediterranean region (cultural diffusion!!!). At age 18, men received military training, and those who could afford weapons and armor became hoplites. Poorer men served on the army’s flanks and manned the warships in the Athenian fleet.