Life in Ancient Greece

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By Jane Bower — consultant in art, drama, dance and literacy

Create an image of home life in Ancient Greece with artefacts and images to stimulate role play and discussion

Using role play and studying artefacts are two approaches to learning that help children gain a greater understanding of why people did what they did, and how they might have felt about it. Paraphrasing Stephen Fry, history is not about aliens (or ‘people in books’); it is what we would have done if we had been born earlier.

Every object, no matter how mundane, has a story. Take the small vase and doll on the At home with Ancient Greek artefacts poster; someone conceived the idea for them, designed them, made them, treasured them, used them, broke them, threw them away and perhaps, rediscovered them. When children are helped to build up the story of an artefact, its significance can become fascinating and very real. You may like to share the ‘Essential facts’, below, with the children. You can also ask children to consider an ancient artefact from a modern viewpoint, for example how are they similar/different to the dolls and vases we have today? Would these ancient artefacts be suitable for use in our modern lives? The following activities focus on the role of women and children in Ancient Greece and how they lived their daily lives.

Essential facts

In general, a woman was trained in indoor work and to see, hear and speak as little as possible. A man’s work was seen as being outdoors.
Although the social ideal for a Greek woman was to spin wool, bake bread and keep house, many women, like men, needed to work for a living. Those in the country might work in agriculture, while townswomen would trade or keep a shop with their husbands.
A large part of family life was spent in religious activity, privately, or publicly at the many festivals.
Marriages were usually arranged, with wives often being much younger than their husbands, chosen for the purposes of good household management and bearing healthy children.
Infant mortality was very high; only one in three children survived their first year. When a child was three it was presented, at a special ritual ceremony, with a miniature wine jug. Many such jugs have been found in graves of children who died before they could receive them.