Clothing
Most men in the first century A.D. wore an inner garment, an outer garment and sandals.
They weren't influenced much by fashion and their clothing didn't change for centuries. The
inner garment, often called a tunic, was like a close-fitting shirt. It was made of wool, linen
or cotton. Some tunics just had slits for the arms; others had long sleeves.
Sometimes men wore an undergarment called a loincloth beneath the tunic. The tunic was
often held in at the waist by a belt made of leather or cloth. Sometimes the belt had a
pouch to keep money. When a man needed to free himself for hard work, he tucked up his
tunic into his belt.
Men wore an outer garment called cloak or robe. It was made of woollen cloth, with slits
for the arms, and was wrapped around the body to help keep warm. At night people used
cloaks for bed-covers.
Women wore similar clothes to men. They dressed in a tunic of wool, cotton or linen. But
women's tunics were usually worn down to the ankles, and were often blue in color. They
also had V-necks, with embroidery along the edges. Like men, women lifted the hem of
their tunics when doing heavy work, such as carrying water.
The woman's outer garment was also longer than a man's; it covered the feet, and
was fastened with a belt at the waist. Women wore squares of material on their heads, tied
with plaited cords. This helped protect them from the sun's heat. Like men, women often
wore leather sandals. Th strap went between the big toe and second toe, and then around
the heel.
Shelter
The poorest people lived in very simple houses with only one room, which could be as small
as ten feet square. Other people lived in tents in the Judean wilderness, continually taking
them down and moving on to another location.
Houses were usually built of mud bricks or rough stones and rubble. Often insects and
snakes lived in the loose walls, which were built very thick, to keep the house cool in the
summer and warm during cold winter nights. There would be one little window, high up in
the wall. Sometimes it was covered with animal skin to keep out the winter wind and rain.
Tents were made of a covering of stretched cloth or animal skin, such as goat's hair. People
fixed down this covering by tying cords to it, and fastening the cords to pegs hammered into
the ground. The tent became waterproof after rain had fallen on it and made it shrink.
Tent people had straw mats to sit on and used animal skins as tables.
Usually there were two levels inside a house. The lower area near the door had a floor made
of stamped-down earth. Often the family kept their animals such as a donkey, sheep and
guard-dog in this section at night. People sometimes lit a fire in this part of the room for
warmth and cooking. Most houses had no chimney, so the walls and ceiling became black
with soot.
The second level was a raised stone platform, where the family would eat their meals, sit
together and lie down to sleep at night. The family kept their food and pots on shelves or in
small cupboards in the walls.
A flat roof of wooden branches laid cross beams covered the typical house. After it rained,
the roof had to be flattened down again with a roller. In spring, seeds that had blown onto
the roof would sprout and make it appear green. People reached the roof by stairs up the
outside wall. Often they dried grain and fruit on the roof, and stored part of the harvest
there. On hot summer nights, the family would sleep on the roof. Often men would climb up
there to pray, and they stored their tools there.
People usually had few pieces of furniture. Most important was a chest for storing food or
clothes. Often poor families turned the chest upside down and also used it as a dining table.
Some had simple wooden stools or chairs, although many simply sat on the floor.
Every family had an oil lamp in the house. Cheaper lamps were made of clay; expensive
ones were of bronze or other metals. Lamps burned olive oil, pitch or wax and had wicks
made of flax. They were left to burn all night.
Food
Bread was a basic food and eaten at every meal. Farmers grew mainly wheat and barley,
but also a grain called millet. After growing from December to February, the grain was
ready to harvest in April or May. Some grain was left standing in the corners of the field, so
that poor people could come and take it for food.
Grain was separated from straw stems, either by threshing with sticks or being trampled by
oxen. Sometimes a threshing board, with stones or iron spikes underneath, also was used.
After threshing, the farmer separated out the chaff by tossing the grain in the air, using a
wooden winnowing fork. Finally, the grain was stored in large earthenware pots or jars.
People drank the milk of sheep, or goats and camels. Milk was used to make cheese and
butter. They also made a kind of yogurt by shaking milk in a skin bag. They also drank wine
because water could make them sick. People grew and ate a variety of vegetables, such as
beans, lentils, gherkins and cucumbers for their stews. There were also root vegetables and
herbs for added flavor.
People ate plenty of grapes, figs, dates, olives, pomegranates, almonds and pistachio nuts.
Honey was important as a sweetener, since there was no sugar; it was made by boiling
grape juice down until it was syrupy and sweet. Honey was often spread on bread.
The grape harvest was nearly as important as the grain harvest. Vines were best planted on
hillsides, where they would catch the sun and rain would run off the slopes. Almost every
family had olive trees, often growing in small groves, and they did well in the dry lands of
Palestine.
Most families didn't eat much meat; they usually only tasted meat at special feasts. Jews
sometimes ate birds such as pigeons, geese, quails and partridge. The most common meat
was the kid, or young goat, but people also ate lamb. Fish from the Sea of Galilee and from
the Jordan River was a favorite food.
Work
Fishermen worked on the Galilee, and lived in many villages surrounded the lake. Some
used a rod and line, like anglers today. From the shoreline, they would cast a circular net
about 17 feet across. It had weights tied around the edge and a rope tied to the middle.
When they spotted fish in the shallow water, the men waded in and dropped the net over
them. From a sailing boat, they often used a seine net about 10 feet wide. It was let out
behind the boat, and corks fixed to the top made it float and stones tied to the bottom held
it down. Fish were caught in the net as the boat sailed along in a circle.
Other people worked as potters, who made eating bowls and drinking jugs by rolling out
long pieces of clay and then coiling them up. Later, potters made smooth, round pots by
using a special wheel.
Carpenters had two jobs--building houses and making furniture. They cut down trees,
shaped the logs, and then used tools such as handsaws and axes in their work. They also
made ploughs, yokes and shovels for the farmer.
Leather was used to make bottles, belts, soldier's' helmets, shields and slings. Leatherworkers prepared the leather, using goat or ox skin, and then scrapped it to remove all the
animal's hair. They soaked the skin and covered it with lime for a clean surface. They
softened the leather by soaking it in water with leaves and rubbing it with animal droppings
and hammering it.
People made their own clothes from sheep's wool. Women washed and combed the wool
and then spun it on a wooden stick. After this they washed the wool again before dyeing it.
The wool was dyed in big pots and then rinsed in water and dried before being woven into
fabrics.
Travel
Because travel was so difficult and dangerous in the first century A.D., people only left
home if they had to. Most traveled on foot, while those who could afford it went on
horseback or by horse-draw carts or carriages.
Palestine was a bare, hilly country. There were few good roads, the best ones built by the
Romans to mainly enable the army to march quickly in case of trouble.
Most people would walk 16 to 20 Roman miles a day. The book of Acts tells us how Apostle
Paul walked long distances through what we know today as Turkey and Greece, spreading
the good news about Jesus.
Sometimes farmers or merchants used carts drawn by oxen or by horses to carry grain and
other goods. The rich could afford to travel in horse-drawn carriages. The poor used a
donkey or mule to carry heavy loads, tying sacks onto the animal's back. Camels were also
often used by merchants crossing the desert.
Jews didn't often travel by sea, because they thought it was very dangerous. Romans sailed
large ships to the ports of Palestine, carrying soldiers, grain and other goods. These ships
had one single mast, and were difficult to maneuver in stormy weather.
Education
In Jewish law and tradition, parents had a sacred obligation to educate their children. Only
boys (usually ages 6 to 10) were enrolled in schools; girls remained at home to be taught
by their mothers.
Classes were held in the synagogue, in a room attached to it, or sometimes outside. Pupils
stood or sat around the teacher. Children learned to read and write, and to study Scripture,
repeating verses over and over.
The synagogue school was conducted by the hazzan (keeper of the scrolls). As an assistant
to the head of the synagogue, he performed various tasks during public worship, such as
handling the Torah and other scrolls to the reader.
At home, children were taught the meaning of the Sabbath rituals; the significance of the
Jewish festivals; and the prayers and practices that were part of the devout Jewish family's
daily life. Parents were also required to pass on the skills their children would need in life.
Girls were trained to run a household; boys learned a trade or occupation.
Marriage
A Hebrew wedding was social occasion rather than a religious or legal one. The bridal couple
was formally united at the betrothal when the marriage contract was sealed and the bridal
price paid.
The bride and groom adorned themselves in their finest clothing and jewels. The bride's
jewels were sometimes part of her dowry; if her family was wealthy, her dowry might
include a headband of coins. The groom also wore an ornamental diadem on his brow.
The veiled bride with her maids of honor left her father's house in a lively procession to the
wedding feast at the groom's house. There, the guests found a banquet as lavish as
finances permitted. Marriage poems, such as Psalm 45 and the Song of Solomon, may have
been recited.