Name: _________________________________
Class Period: ___________
Do Now
Greece
December 6-December 12
STATEMENT
Informational Passage
Please write
the days
ESSENTIAL
QUESTION IN
THE BOX
http://greece.mrdonn.org/geograph
y.html
Does the
Category
informational
passage support or 1. Accessibility
disprove the
statement? Explain. Diffusion
(Highlight only the information that supports
or disproves the statement.)
Complimentarily
2. 5 Themes of
Geography
(1pt)
1. Women were
as valued in
Ancient
Greece as
women are
today in the
United States
Roles of Men and Women in Ancient
Greece
Men had the dominant role in public life in
ancient Greece. They were engaged in
politics and public events, while women
were often encouraged to stay in the home.
When men entertained, their wives were not
invited to the dinner. The Olympic Games
were for males only, while in another part of
Olympia, the women had a small event of
their own in honor of Hera. In Athens, pale
skin was in style for women, showing that
they were wealthy enough to stay inside.
Also in Athens, only the very poor woman
(2 pts)
(4pts)
was found
at the agora
without a
male
escort.
The
sheltering
of women
was not as
common in
other
Greek
cities. For
example, in
Sparta,
women had much more freedom and a larger
role in society, but still secondary to men.
2. Boys and girls
had similar
upbringing
Children of Ancient Greece
Babies born in
ancient Greece
often had a
difficult time
surviving. Many
died in the first
couple days of
life; therefore,
babies did not
receive names
until the seventh
or tenth day of
life. If a baby
was born
deformed, it
might have been
abandoned on a
mountain (female babies were abandoned
more often than males). Sometimes
abandoned babies were rescued and brought
up as slaves by another family.
In some Greek cities, children were wrapped
up in cloths until they were about two years
old to insure straight and strong limbs. Other
city-states, such as Sparta, did not do this to
their children.
Children spent the majority of their time with
their mother. They stayed in the women’s
part of the house. While they were being
raised, girls would receive their entire
education and training in the home with their
mothers. Boys, on the other hand, might
learn their father’s trade or go to school
around the age of seven.
In Sparta, seven-year-old boys were taken to
the barracks by the city and raised. They
were trained in the military and were not
allowed to leave the barracks until age thirty.
Many toys, similar to current day toys, have
been found in archeological sites. Dolls,
rattles, tops, swings, and many other items
have been unearthed. As is common today,
those from richer families had a greater
assortment of toys, while those from poorer
families were expected to work for the family
at a much younger age. Evidence also shows
that Greeks kept pets such as dogs, pigs,
tortoises, and caged birds.
Girls reached puberty at ages twelve or
thirteen, at which point they were considered
adults and could marry. Girls took their
childhood toys and left them at the temple of
Artemis. This signaled that their childhood
was over and that they were becoming adults.
After marrying, the women were expected to
have a baby. Not being able to bear children
was seen as curse from the gods.
At age eighteen, boys in several ancient
Greek cities were required to join the army
for two years of service. Many cities required
males to reach the age of thirty before they
were able to participate in city politics.
3. Women in
Sparta and
Athens had the
same rights
and privileges.
Women in most city-states of ancient Greece
had very few rights. They were under the
control and protection of their father,
husband, or a male relative for their entire
lives. Women had no role in politics. Women
with any wealth did not work. They stayed
indoors running their households. The only
public job of importance for a woman was as
a religious priestess.
In Sparta, men stayed in barracks until they
were thirty. Since Spartan women did not
have this restriction, they had more freedoms
and responsibilities in public life. They were
able to go out in public unescorted,
participate in athletic contests, and inherit
land. In the fourth century, over two-fifths of
the land in Sparta was owned by women. In
Athens, the law required all inheritances to
go through the male line and limited property
that could be owned by women.
It was the wives who supervised the slaves
and managed the household responsibilities,
such as weaving and cooking. In affluent
homes, women had a completely separate
area of the house where men were not
permitted. In the homes of the poor, separate
areas were not available. Poor women often
worked outside the home, assisting their
husbands at the market or at some other job.
Poorer women often went to the market
without a male escort.
4. Ancient
Home Life in Ancient Greece
Greeks had a
patriarchal and
a extended
family.
Most homes in ancient Greece had a
courtyard, which was the center of activity.
Children could safely play outside in the
warm climate. Homes were divided into
areas for the men and areas for the women.
The andron was a room reserved for males to
entertain male guests. The room had a
separate entrance to the street so male guests
did not have to cross paths with any of the
ladies of the house.
Houses were made out of sun-dried brick on
a foundation of stones. Sun-dried brick was
not a dependable material and often
crumbled. Burglars were termed “wall
piercers” because they broke through the
walls to gain entry into homes. Roofs were
made of overlapping clay tiles. Andron room
floors were sometimes tiled, but the flooring
of the rest of the rooms was packed dirt.
The Greeks had a very limited amount of
furniture in their houses. The rooms were
relatively bare by today’s standards. Wooden
chairs, couches and stools were typical.
Food was cooked outside during most of the
year. When the weather was not conducive to
cooking outside, a hearth or brazier was used
in the kitchen. Kitchens were built with a
hole in the roof so that smoke could escape.
Houses had one or two private rooms.
Bathrooms consisted of a chamber pot,
which was dumped into a gutter or into the
street.
The head of each household was the
husband. It was the woman’s role to
complete the daily chores and raise children.
Often large families included the parents and
children, grandparents, unwed female
relatives, and slaves all under the same roof.
5. Marriage and
divorce was
common in
Ancient Greek
societies
Marriages in Ancient Greece
Marriages in ancient Greece were arranged
by the parents of the intended bride and
groom. A financial arrangement was made
between the families in the form of a dowry.
Girls married between the ages of fourteen to
eighteen, while typically men married in their
twenties or even thirties. Spartan men
continued to live in the barracks, even after
the wedding, until they reached the age of
thirty when they could move home with their
wives.
Priests did not direct weddings in ancient
Greece. Instead, a set of rituals was followed,
after which the couple would live together.
The rituals started with baths. The groom
then would go to the bride’s house in a
chariot or a cart. A feast may be held at the
bride’s father’s house, after which the groom
would take his bride back to his parents’
house. They were greeted at the door by the
groom’s parents and led to the hearth. There
they were showered with nuts and fruit. The
couple then retired to their bedroom. For the
wife to be fully accepted into the groom’s
family, a child had to be conceived from their
union.
Divorces were easily arranged. The man
would have to pay back, in cash, the
remaining dowry money to his wife’s
parents. Divorces were granted on many
grounds; for example, if the wife could not
bear children. When a wife committed
adultery, divorce was legally required.
Greek men did not discuss with others their
wives or other female relatives. They dared
not even give their names outside their close
family circle. They did not want to attract
unwanted attention from unrelated males.
Summarize the information that you have learned in this Do Now packet.
YOUR SUMMARY: MUST CONTAIN INFORMATION FROM EVERY DAY