What did they do back in Sophocles' day?
Q. What did they do for fun? What games did they play? What were their pastimes?
A. For fun, Greeks would visit galleries and museums to pass the time. They would go to the outdoor theaters for entertainment. They would play small games for fun but the big tournament of games was what we call today The Olympics. They would gather the best players around Greece and compete for the glory of the gods at Mount Olympia, hence the name Olympics. The modern game of jacks was invented by them, but was called jackstones. They would also play 'ball.' Women would play this with the playing of music around them.
Q. What major wars were fought in Greece from about 400-500 B.C.? What affect did the wars have on Greek culture/daily lives?
A. The major wars that were fought in Greece during this time period would be the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, and the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. If affected everyone and everything in Greece. Once the wars were over, depending on who won/lost affected the citizens of that certain city-state directly and how they lived their daily lives.
Q. What was their religion like, and what were their typical beliefs? What were their religious customs? Where did religious activities take place?
A. The Greek people were polytheistic, meaning that they believed in more than one god. They had multiple gods that they believed in and they would tell oral stories about them that basically describes how the world came to be and how things came about. Most beliefs were in their gods and the power they contained. They would pray to their gods for help or guidance. For example, if they were having a really bad drought season, they would pray to their god/goddess of agriculture and bountifulness to give them a good harvest. They would also sacrifice and give the gods offerings so that they showed their faith and trust in the gods powers. They would do these practices in sanctuaries that were inside the city-state walls or in the countryside. They would go to the god/goddess' specific sanctuary to make their offering/prayers.
Q. What was the fashion like in ancient Greece? What did men, women, and children typically wear from head to toe on a daily basis? Did their attire
change for special events?
A. Most Grecian people would wear these long white flowy ropes called togas. They would also wear sandals that we get the name from today as gladiator sandals. Men and women would wear a tunic and a cloak as daily wear. Men would wear these wreaths made of leaves and branches on their head and women would wear diadems, which was sort of like our head band today. Children would wear the same clothing, just of course, smaller. For special occasions, women would wear dresses and very fancy jewelry.
Q. What was their transportation like? What were the typical forms of transportation, and how often did they travel long distances?
A. They could only travel three ways back then: by water, by land, or by foot. The most efficient and mostly chose choice was by boat. Since everywhere not in Greece was close to Greece, they could sail fairly easy to their destination. They would also travel by land on chariots and wagons. They would mainly use these for long traveling by land. When they did travel by foot, it would be mainly inside their city or at the most, to the neighboring city. They would not travel long distances if it required walking a lot so most of the long distance traveling was done by chariot or boat.
A. For fun, Greeks would visit galleries and museums to pass the time. They would go to the outdoor theaters for entertainment. They would play small games for fun but the big tournament of games was what we call today The Olympics. They would gather the best players around Greece and compete for the glory of the gods at Mount Olympia, hence the name Olympics. The modern game of jacks was invented by them, but was called jackstones. They would also play 'ball.' Women would play this with the playing of music around them.
Q. What major wars were fought in Greece from about 400-500 B.C.? What affect did the wars have on Greek culture/daily lives?
A. The major wars that were fought in Greece during this time period would be the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, and the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. If affected everyone and everything in Greece. Once the wars were over, depending on who won/lost affected the citizens of that certain city-state directly and how they lived their daily lives.
Q. What was their religion like, and what were their typical beliefs? What were their religious customs? Where did religious activities take place?
A. The Greek people were polytheistic, meaning that they believed in more than one god. They had multiple gods that they believed in and they would tell oral stories about them that basically describes how the world came to be and how things came about. Most beliefs were in their gods and the power they contained. They would pray to their gods for help or guidance. For example, if they were having a really bad drought season, they would pray to their god/goddess of agriculture and bountifulness to give them a good harvest. They would also sacrifice and give the gods offerings so that they showed their faith and trust in the gods powers. They would do these practices in sanctuaries that were inside the city-state walls or in the countryside. They would go to the god/goddess' specific sanctuary to make their offering/prayers.
Q. What was the fashion like in ancient Greece? What did men, women, and children typically wear from head to toe on a daily basis? Did their attire
change for special events?
A. Most Grecian people would wear these long white flowy ropes called togas. They would also wear sandals that we get the name from today as gladiator sandals. Men and women would wear a tunic and a cloak as daily wear. Men would wear these wreaths made of leaves and branches on their head and women would wear diadems, which was sort of like our head band today. Children would wear the same clothing, just of course, smaller. For special occasions, women would wear dresses and very fancy jewelry.
Q. What was their transportation like? What were the typical forms of transportation, and how often did they travel long distances?
A. They could only travel three ways back then: by water, by land, or by foot. The most efficient and mostly chose choice was by boat. Since everywhere not in Greece was close to Greece, they could sail fairly easy to their destination. They would also travel by land on chariots and wagons. They would mainly use these for long traveling by land. When they did travel by foot, it would be mainly inside their city or at the most, to the neighboring city. They would not travel long distances if it required walking a lot so most of the long distance traveling was done by chariot or boat.
A painting on the side of a Greek vase depicting the Olympians competing in the running competition.
Picture of the Battle of Thermopylae.
Painting of a Greek acropolis.
Picture of the Parthenon.
Picture of ancient Greek women in elegant and normal attire.
Pictures of a Greek boat in which they would travel long distances by sea and a chariot they traveled long distances on by land.
Resources:
. "Greece Entertainment." Maps of the World. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.mapsofworld.com/greece/entertainment/>.
. "Ancient Olympic Games." Olympic. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games>.
. "Sports and Pastimes of All Nations: Greece." . Arbuckle's Ariosa Coffee, n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.arbycards.info/arbsp44.htm>.
. "All That Is Interesting." The PBH Network. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://all-that-is-interesting.com/the-four-most-important-battles-of-ancient-greece>.
. "Greek Gods and Religious Practices." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013.<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grlg/hd_grlg.htm>.
. "Greek Culture and Society." Ancient Greece. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Clothing/>.
. "Ancient Ships: The Ships of Antiquity." Art Sales. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.artsales.com/Ancient Ships/hMerchantShipsandCraft.htm>.
. "The Chariot Race." American Museum of Natural History. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/horse/how-we-shaped-horses-how-horses-shaped-us/sport/the-chariot-race>.
Ancient Greek Olympic Games: Runners Depicted On Vase, C. 525 Bc. 2013. Encyclopedia Britannica Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/76169/Ancient-Greek-vase-depicting-Olympic-runners-525-BC>.
. "Ancient Olympic Games." Olympic. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games>.
. "Sports and Pastimes of All Nations: Greece." . Arbuckle's Ariosa Coffee, n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.arbycards.info/arbsp44.htm>.
. "All That Is Interesting." The PBH Network. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://all-that-is-interesting.com/the-four-most-important-battles-of-ancient-greece>.
. "Greek Gods and Religious Practices." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013.<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grlg/hd_grlg.htm>.
. "Greek Culture and Society." Ancient Greece. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Clothing/>.
. "Ancient Ships: The Ships of Antiquity." Art Sales. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.artsales.com/Ancient Ships/hMerchantShipsandCraft.htm>.
. "The Chariot Race." American Museum of Natural History. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/horse/how-we-shaped-horses-how-horses-shaped-us/sport/the-chariot-race>.
Ancient Greek Olympic Games: Runners Depicted On Vase, C. 525 Bc. 2013. Encyclopedia Britannica Web. 21 Feb 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/76169/Ancient-Greek-vase-depicting-Olympic-runners-525-BC>.