Aspasia:Greetings, wanderer. It is my pleasure to introduce you to a unique tour – One that won't take you to impressive landmarks or famous battle sites, but through a typical Athenian home.
("Who are you?")
Aspasia:My name is Aspasia. Though I am not original from Athens, I have climbed to the top of its social ladder using my wit and intellect. I've even earned the love of Perikles, one of the most powerful men in the city. The mind truly is a beautiful thing.
("What do you think of this place?")
Aspasia:If Olympos is Zeus' sanctuary, then my house is my own. It is a place where I can shelter myself from the noise and stress of city life.
("I would like to begin the tour.")
Aspasia:For an outgoing people like the Greeks, the house was a refuge of privacy. Inside, they could escape from the constant demands of civic life to enjoy the simple pleasures of family life. Look for me when you are done, and we can discuss the things you've seen. Farewell for now.
Scene of women in the house from a red-figure pyxis / 500-470 BCE (Classical Greece)
The house, or oikos, was a residence for Greek families and their slaves.
Contrary to modern houses, which look outward, the Greek household was built to look inward on a courtyard.
The courtyard was the house's central fixture. It was the building's main source of daylight, and also the location of religious altars dedicated to worship.
The building itself was made up of familiar accommodations, including bedrooms, storage rooms, a kitchen, and a living room.
Women were generally in charge of tending to the home, which in Greece was called oikonomia – a term that inspired the modern word "economy".
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Certain rooms in Greek households were reserved for exclusively for women and female slaves. These rooms were known as gynaikonitis, or gynaikon. The gynaikon were entirely separated from the men's section of the home – the andron – by a strong door, and were frequently situated in the house's upper stories.
Men often held drinking parties called symposia in their section of the house. Women, meanwhile, kept to their section to pursue activities like tending to their appearance, looking after children, spinning and weaving, and playing musical instruments.
Floor plan of the hill-house in Delos (2nd cent. BCE) / 2013
A pasta was a corridor that connected a house's courtyard to its residential section.
Archaeological evidence from the city of Olynthos reveals that pastas were added to Greek home design in the 5th century BCE.
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Greek houses were built on foundations of stone with mud bricks and woodwork. Their floors were packed mud – with the exception of the andron, which had a tiled floor – and their roofs were compiled of tiles.
In cities, houses were positioned next to one another, and usually had a room or shop that opened up onto the street. Windows were normally only found on the first floor, but rooms were arranged so that air could circulate through them from the open courtyard.
The houses were heated with braziers of charcoal, which also helped light surrounding rooms. Furniture, meanwhile, was very simple, and consisted of couches, chairs, folding stools, tables, blankets, and cushions. Archaeological evidence also suggests that many other tools and objects were also kept in the home, including vases, sieves, cauldrons, and basins.
Blacksmith working in his workshop, scene from a red-figured cup / 510-500 BCE (Archaic Greece)
Greeks had no qualms about combining their work and their private lives, and many of them worked from home.
Artisans like blacksmiths, sculptors, and potters often had workshops in their houses. Some even operated small stores to sell their work. Similarly, doctors were known to treat patients in special offices located in their homes.
Women also worked in the house, and were responsible for making textiles, as well as producing clothes and supervising weaving, which was carried out by slaves.
If a household was wealthy enough, they could even produce a surplus of textiles to sell in times of financial difficulty.
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Athenians supported themselves by carrying out a wide array of commercial and industrial activities. Most of the time, there was no distinction between where people worked and where they lived.
For example, in Aristophanes' comedy "Lysistrata", the character of the tavern keeper is shown serving wine in his own residence. Similarly, according to Demosthenes, the general Konon ran an entire business in his house.
Teachers could even have schools inside their homes, such as the father of Aischines, who taught an elementary school in his house.
Young boys playing knucklebones, scene from an Athenian red-figure oinochoe / 420 BCE (Classical Greece)
The inner courtyard was the nexus of the house.
Functionally, it allowed air to circulate, and also provided access to most of the rooms.
It also sometimes housed a well or a cistern that collected rainwater.
In the center of the courtyard was an altar to Zeus Herkeios, who served as the protector of the household.
Women would often use the space to sew and cook, while children used it as a play area.
Furthermore, if the family had pets or animals, the courtyard was where they were allowed to run free.
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Based on scenes of household life depicted on ancient vases, Greek children had many different ways to entertainment themselves. Artistic representations show them doing everything from spinning tops, to riding seesaw, to playing knucklebones.
Children also played with small figurines, animals, wheeled horses, carts, and dolls. Terracotta or plaster copies of birds and other animals were also common toys.
Numerous dolls, such as a tiny figurine of a woman, have survived to this day. The dolls were designed with articulated joints in their arms and legs, which allowed children to manipulate them into a variety of positions.
Young woman in a bathroom scene, from a red-figure kylix / 500 BCE (Archaic Greece)
The bathroom was located in the back of the house.
Much like today, it was used for cleansing and washing, although the Greeks used chamber pots instead of toilets.
Most bathrooms had a louterion that could be filled with water for washing.
Mirrors, razors, strigils, and sponges could also be found in the bathroom, along with small vases called aryballoi which were usually filled with perfume or oil.
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The Greeks viewed hair as a symbol of life and strength. Originally, hair loss signified old age of disease, and the shortening or shaving of hair symbolized a loss of freedom. During the Archaic period, men who had long hair were associated with the aristocracy.
In the 5th century BCE, however, it became fashionable men to wear their hair short, usually in curls or short strands. Women, meanwhile, had long hair held together by nets, pins, or bands.
The Classic period saw the appearance of even more looks, like the lampadion hairstyle, which involved bounding hair upward in a way that was reminiscent of a burning flame. Similarly there was also the "melon style" bun, in which hair was tightened to form a braided crown, and a Greek bun with a high knot.
Terracotta figurine of cooking scene with butcher and cook. From Tanagra in Boeotia / 525-475 BCE (Archaic Greece)
Greek homes had kitchens where the family's meals were prepared.
The Greeks did not often eat meat, except during special occasions like banquets or after sacrifices.
They had a mainly grain-based diet, eating staples such as bread, porridge, or a barley cake called maza.
They also occasionally ate poultry, fish, and other sea food, as well as fruits, vegetables, goat milk and cheese, and olive oil.
Food was cooked on a tripod, or sometimes in a klibanos, which was a sort of mobile oven.
Other cooking implements included braziers, mortars and pestles, a spit to hold food over a fire, platters, and frying pans.
The family also used the kitchen to store food in containers called pithoi.
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According to Hippokrates, some Greeks ate only one meal a day, while others ate two. The main meal was called the deipnon, and was eaten in the evening, while the second possible meal was called ariston, and was normally eaten around noon.
The deipnon was made up of three parts: a cereal staple called sitos, a main dish called opson, and potos – otherwise known as wine. The opson usually consisted of meat or fish, while the wine was served with desserts like dried fruits, nuts, and cakes.
The Greek diet was on the Mediterranean triad: grains, grapes, and olives.
Red-figure cup with a scene of a symposium / 480 BCE (Classical Greece)
Symposia were major social institutions in Greece. They were drinking parties held exclusively for men.
The party took place in the men's section of the house, the andron, where residents and guests reclined on special couches called klinai.
Food was served on low tables set in front of the couches, while wine was placed in a krater in the center of the room.
During a symposium, men drank, sang, had philosophical discussions, and played games like kottabos.
Musicians, dancers, and even courtesans were often welcomed to attend as well.
However, wives and daughters were always excluded.
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The most popular game at symposia was the kottabos. The game consisted of flicking an almost-empty wine cup to project the remainder of the wine at a specific target. The target was generally a terracotta vessel either floating in a bowl of water or balanced on a stand, and the objective of the game was to use the wine dregs to sink the vessel or knock it down.
Another popular symposium game involved the singing of skolia. Skolia were drinking songs sung by symposiasts in turns. Participants would pass around a sprig of laurel or myrtle. Whoever held the sprig would start singing, then pass it suddenly to another person, who would do their best to continue the song.
Fragment of red-figure lebes with scene depicting women celebrating the Adonia festival / 430-420 BCE (Classical Greece)
The pyrgos, or upper storeys, was the women's quarter of the house, where they could pursue their activities and observe the city without been seen themselves.
The rooftops were also used in a special rite called the Adonia, a private celebration held in honor of Adonis, which was reserved for women.
At the beginning of spring, women filled terracotta pots with soil and lettuce seeds, then climbed a ladder to place the pots on the rooftop.
These pots served as the women's very own "Gardens of Adonis".
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The Adonia festival was linked closely to the myth of Adonis, a mortal who was beloved by the goddess Aprodite. After incurring Artemis' wrath, Adonis was killed by a boar, and from his spilled blood bloomed flowers.
The commemoration of Adonis' tragic death was central to the Adonia celebration. The participating women danced, sang, and ritually mourned Adonis by setting pots of plants on their rooftops that quickly germinated and withered. Because of this, the phrase "Gardens of Adonis" was often used proverbally by Greeks to describle something trivial and wasteful.
After the rooftop ceremony, the women descended into the streets for a funeral procession. When the procession was over, they buried small statues of the gods, then celebrated by drinking wine and playing games.
Aspasia:I hope now you have a better understanding of the routines and home life of the Greek people. What would you like to do next?
("I'm ready for a quiz.")
Aspasia:Then let's start with a simple question. Which group of people celebrated the Adonia?
Aspasia:Correct! The Adonia was celebrated by women of all stations. Let's move on to the next question.
Aspasia:Which of the following was known as the "protector of the household"?
Aspasia:Yes! Zeus Herkeios protected the household, and an altar to the god usually stood in the center of the house's courtyard. On to the final question.
Aspasia:Which of the following was not located in the bathroom?
Aspasia:The louterion was a water basin that was located in the bathroom. Try a different answer.
Aspasia:Correct! The klibanos was a mobile oven usually found in the kitchen.
Aspasia:I'm afraid mirrors were quite common in bathrooms. Keep trying.
Aspasia:It seems you really know your way around Greek homes. Well done, wanderer.
("Take me to the next suggested tour.")
Aspasia:As you wish. Come with me.
("Take me to a random tour.")
([LEAVE] "That's all for now.")
Aspasia:Farewell, wanderer, and thank you for visiting my city.
