1. Home Life in Ancient Greece
By Linda L. Tavares

2. Homes
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.

3. Greek home

4. Houses were made out of sun-dried brick on a foundation of stones
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.

5. The Throne Room was a chamber built for ceremonial purposes
during the 15th century BC inside the palatial complex of
Knossos, Crete, in Greece. It is still there today and is considered
the oldest throne room in Europe.[1]

6. The Greeks had a very limited amount of furniture in their houses
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.

7. Food was cooked outside during most of the year
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.

9. Houses had one or two private rooms
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.

10. 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 was found at the agora without a male escort.

11. Women in Greece

12. Women in Ancient Greece
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.

13. Sparta was different from Athens
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.

14. 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.

15. Bibliography