Who were the ancient Greeks?
Part 2
Who was the Greeks’ favourite hero?
The Greeks loved to share stories about brave heroes and their great adventures.
Everyone’s favourite hero was Heracles (the Romans called him Hercules). Heracles was Zeus’s son. He was so strong he could kill a lion with his bare hands.
He also sailed with Jason and the Argonauts to find the Golden Fleece and he performed 12 ‘impossible’ tasks.
Heracles was very brave, but he was killed when he was tricked into putting on a poisoned robe. However, Zeus liked Heracles so much that he took him to Mount Olympus and made him immortal.
What happened to dead Greeks?
The Greeks believed that the dead went to the Underworld. This was an underground kingdom ruled by the god Hades.
To reach the Underworld, dead souls had to cross the River Styx. A grumpy ferryman called Charon would take them across, but only if they paid him. So Greeks would place a coin in the mouth of a dead person at funerals, to make sure they could pay the fare.
After crossing the River Styx, three judges decided where the dead person should spend eternity. If they’d been really good, they were sent to live happily forever in the Elysian Fields.
If they had been ok, they were sent to the Asphodel Meadows. But if they had been really bad, they ended up in Tartarus. This was a really horrible pit where their soul was tortured for all eternity.
How did the ancient Greeks change the world?
Even after 3,000 years, we’re still using ancient Greek ideas in maths, science and art. Our alphabet is based on the Greek one. Check a dictionary and you’ll find hundreds of words that come from the Greek language.
How did Greek ideas spread so far? It’s down to Alexander, the young king of Macedon. He led his army to take over Greece, Persia, Egypt and even part of India. He ruled so much of the world they called him ‘Alexander the Great’.
Wherever he went, Alexander took Greek ideas. When he died in 323BC, the Romans took over. They admired the Greeks’ way of life and carried Greek ideas to even more countries – including ours!
Did the Greeks invent Government?
In ancient Athens, citizens would gather together on a dusty hill called the Pnyx. Here they would decide the city’s laws and who should sit on its ruling council. This was ‘democracy’ or ‘rule by the people’.
All 30,000 citizens were men. Women and enslaved people didn’t get a say. A citizen could speak for the time it took water to run from one jar into another. When this water clock ran out, it was someone else’s turn.
A jury of 500 citizens decided if someone was guilty of law-breaking. Punishments included death. Citizens could also vote to get rid of people they disliked. Each man wrote a name on a broken bit of pottery called an ‘ostracon’. Anyone named more than 600 times got kicked out of the city.
Today, we also live in a democracy. Unlike in ancient Greece, women get to vote, too. Juries of 12 people decide if someone is guilty of a crime – we don’t use ostracons anymore!
How did the Greeks change sport?
The Greeks loved sport as much as we do. They enjoyed the discus, javelin, long jump, boxing and horse racing. Athletes prayed to Nike, the goddess of victory – she’s still a big name in sport today!
Greek men and boys trained in a gymnasium. We also go to the gym, although today women and girls are welcome too. The Greeks loved to watch races in a big, open-air ‘stadion’, very like a modern sports stadium.
Every four years the Greeks held a special sporting festival at Olympia – the Olympic Games. These inspired the modern Olympics which began in 1896. Some of the events were very similar. Like the Greeks, we also hold the Olympics every four years.
Legend tells of Pheidippides, who fought at the battle of Marathon in 490BC. When the Greeks won, he ran 26 miles (42 km) to Athens with the news – and then fell down dead. Modern marathon races cover the same distance as his epic run.
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Did the Greeks change the way we think?
Ancient Greek thinkers made big discoveries. Pythagoras found ways to measure and describe shapes that we still use in maths today.
Aristotle studied plants, animals and rocks. He devised experiments to find out about the world we live in. Modern scientists do the same kind of thing.
Herodotus wrote a history of the Greeks. He based this on eyewitness reports, something today’s historians also try to do. Socrates and Plato were philosophers.
They asked, “What is a good life?” and “How do we think?” Philosophers in our time also try to answer these questions.
Ancient Greek stories are still told today. We love films about superheroes and monsters. Our TV soaps are full of stories about long-lost children returning to find their parents – just as ancient Greek plays were.
What was it like to live in an ancient Greek family?
Ancient Greece had a warm, dry climate, as Greece does today. Most people lived by farming, fishing and trade. Others were soldiers, scholars, scientists and artists.
Greek cities had beautiful temples with stone columns and statues, and open-air theatres where people sat to watch plays.
Most people lived in villages or in the countryside. Many Greeks were poor and life was hard, because farmland, water and timber for building were scarce. That’s why many Greeks sailed off to find new lands to settle.
What were Greek homes like?
Ancient Greek homes were built around a courtyard or garden. The walls were often made from wood and mud bricks.
They had small windows with no glass, but wooden shutters to keep out the hot sun.
They didn’t have much furniture inside. People sat on wooden chairs or stools. Rich people decorated the walls and floors with colourful tiles and paintings.
Many homes didn’t have a bathroom. There were public baths, but most people washed using a small bucket or in a nearby stream. Only rich women (with enslaved people to carry the water) enjoyed baths at home.
Afterwards they rubbed their bodies with perfumed oil to keep their skin soft.
At night, Greeks slept on beds stuffed with wool, feathers or dry grass. Most people went to bed as soon as it got dark. The only light came from flickering oil lamps and candles.
What was Greek fashion like?
A Greek woman wore a long tunic called a chiton. This was made from a piece of cotton or linen. Over this, she wore a cloak draped from her shoulders, called a himation.
This would be a thin material in summer and a thick one in winter.
Young men wore short tunics, while older men preferred long ones. Enslaved men often wore just a strip of cloth called a loincloth.
Many people walked around barefoot. Some wore leather sandals or, for horse-riding, high boots.
Both men and women wore wide-brimmed hats in hot weather, to shade their faces from the sun.
Suntans weren’t cool in ancient Greece, so women put white lead on their face to make their skin pale. White lead is poisonous, so it did more harm than good.
We know the Greeks liked jewellery too, because bracelets, earrings and necklaces are often buried with dead people in their tombs
Did the Greeks change the way we think?
Ancient Greek thinkers made big discoveries. Pythagoras found ways to measure and describe shapes that we still use in maths today.
Aristotle studied plants, animals and rocks. He devised experiments to find out about the world we live in. Modern scientists do the same kind of thing.
Herodotus wrote a history of the Greeks. He based this on eyewitness reports, something today’s historians also try to do. Socrates and Plato were philosophers.
They asked, “What is a good life?” and “How do we think?” Philosophers in our time also try to answer these questions.
Ancient Greek stories are still told today. We love films about superheroes and monsters. Our TV soaps are full of stories about long-lost children returning to find their parents – just as ancient Greek plays were.
What was it like to live in an ancient Greek family?
Ancient Greece had a warm, dry climate, as Greece does today. Most people lived by farming, fishing and trade. Others were soldiers, scholars, scientists and artists.
Greek cities had beautiful temples with stone columns and statues, and open-air theatres where people sat to watch plays.
Most people lived in villages or in the countryside. Many Greeks were poor and life was hard, because farmland, water and timber for building were scarce. That’s why many Greeks sailed off to find new lands to settle.
What were Greek homes like?
Ancient Greek homes were built around a courtyard or garden. The walls were often made from wood and mud bricks.
They had small windows with no glass, but wooden shutters to keep out the hot sun.
They didn’t have much furniture inside. People sat on wooden chairs or stools. Rich people decorated the walls and floors with colourful tiles and paintings.
Many homes didn’t have a bathroom. There were public baths, but most people washed using a small bucket or in a nearby stream. Only rich women (with enslaved people to carry the water) enjoyed baths at home.
Afterwards they rubbed their bodies with perfumed oil to keep their skin soft.
At night, Greeks slept on beds stuffed with wool, feathers or dry grass. Most people went to bed as soon as it got dark. The only light came from flickering oil lamps and candles.
What was Greek fashion like?
A Greek woman wore a long tunic called a chiton. This was made from a piece of cotton or linen. Over this, she wore a cloak draped from her shoulders, called a himation.
This would be a thin material in summer and a thick one in winter.
Young men wore short tunics, while older men preferred long ones. Enslaved men often wore just a strip of cloth called a loincloth.
Many people walked around barefoot. Some wore leather sandals or, for horse-riding, high boots.
Both men and women wore wide-brimmed hats in hot weather, to shade their faces from the sun.
Suntans weren’t cool in ancient Greece, so women put white lead on their face to make their skin pale. White lead is poisonous, so it did more harm than good.
We know the Greeks liked jewellery too, because bracelets, earrings and necklaces are often buried with dead people in their tombs.
What toys did children play with?
We know about some Greek toys from pictures on pottery vases and artefacts found by archaeologists.
Children played with small pottery figures, and dolls made of rags, wood, wax or clay – some of these dolls even had moveable arms and legs.
Other toys were rattles, hoops, yo-yos and hobby horses (a pretend horse made from a stick).
They also played with balls made from tied-up rags or a blown-up pig’s bladder.
A game of flicking nuts into a hole or circle may be the ancient Greek version of marbles or tiddlywinks!
Children also kept animals. There are pictures of children with pets, like dogs, geese and chickens.
What did the Greeks like to eat?
Men and women usually ate separately in ancient Greece. Rich people always ate at home – only enslaved people and poor people would eat in public. Everyone ate with their fingers, so food was cut up in the kitchen first.
So what was on the menu in ancient Greece? For breakfast, Greeks might eat fruit with bread dipped in wine. Lunch might be bread and cheese.
For dinner, people ate porridge made from barley, with cheese, fish, vegetables, eggs and fruit. For pudding people ate nuts, figs and cakes sweetened with honey.
Only rich people ate a lot of meat. They would eat hares, deer and wild boar killed by hunters. Octopus was a favourite seafood.
What toys did children play with?
We know about some Greek toys from pictures on pottery vases and artefacts found by archaeologists.
Children played with small pottery figures, and dolls made of rags, wood, wax or clay – some of these dolls even had moveable arms and legs.
Other toys were rattles, hoops, yo-yos and hobby horses (a pretend horse made from a stick).
They also played with balls made from tied-up rags or a blown-up pig’s bladder.
A game of flicking nuts into a hole or circle may be the ancient Greek version of marbles or tiddlywinks!
Children also kept animals. There are pictures of children with pets, like dogs, geese and chickens.
What did the Greeks like to eat?
Men and women usually ate separately in ancient Greece. Rich people always ate at home – only enslaved people and poor people would eat in public. Everyone ate with their fingers, so food was cut up in the kitchen first.
So what was on the menu in ancient Greece? For breakfast, Greeks might eat fruit with bread dipped in wine. Lunch might be bread and cheese.
For dinner, people ate porridge made from barley, with cheese, fish, vegetables, eggs and fruit. For pudding people ate nuts, figs and cakes sweetened with honey.
Only rich people ate a lot of meat. They would eat hares, deer and wild boar killed by hunters. Octopus was a favourite seafood.
The Roots of Western Society
Olympia, located in the Ilia (Elis) region in the north-west of the Peloponnese Peninsula, dates back to the end of the final Neolithic period (4th millennium BC),
and is considered one of the most important places to trace the roots of Western society due to its religious, political, and sports tradition.
Olympia was the centre of worship of Zeus, the father of the twelve Olympian gods. Some of the most remarkable works of art were created to adorn Altis,
the sacred grove and sanctuary. Great artists, such as Pheidias, put stamps of inspiration and creativity here, offering unique artistic creations to the world.
Μany masterpieces have survived: large votive archaic bronzes, pedimental sculptures and metopes from the temple of Zeus, and the famous complex of Hermes by Praxiteles.
These are all major works of sculpture and key references in the history of art.
Still visible inside the peribolos (enclosed court) of the Altis are the shrines to the gods, the principal temples of Zeus and Hera,
and the remains of some very ancient sanctuaries—such as the Pelopion and a row of Treasuries to the north, at the foot of the Kronion hill. The divine precinct is packed with history and importance.
There are structures used by the priests (Theokoleon), the administration (Bouleuterion), state (Prytaneion), and accommodation (Leonidaion and Roman hostel) buildings.
There are also residences for distinguished guests (Nero’s House) and all the sports structures used for the preparation and celebration of the Olympic Games:
the stadium and the hippodrome to the east, and the thermal baths, the palaestra and the gymnasium to the south and west.
The Olympic Games were celebrated regularly beginning in 776 BC. The Olympiad—a four-year period between two successive celebrations falling every fifth year
—became a chronological reference and dating system used widely in the Greek world. But, the concept of Olympic honor was the most important legacy left to modernity.
In ancient times, athletes agreed to a three-month sacred truce and came together from all the Greek cities of the Mediterranean world to compete.
G.I.T.C
