Ancient Greek Life for the Poor Compared to the Rich
By Tiffany Trinh and Charne Folks
Slaves of Ancient Greece
Who Were Slaves
- If a family needed money, they might sell one of the children into slavery
- They might have been exposed as an infant, meaning the parents abandoned their newborn baby upon a hillside or at the gates of the city to die or be claimed by a passerby.
- They might have been born into slavery as the child of a slave.
- Kidnapping was another fairly common way in which one could have been sold into slavery.
Ancient Greece
Homes of Ancient Greece
Poor VS Rich Diet
Introduction into Ancient Greek Society
- The homes of poverty-ridden individuals only had 1 - 3 rooms, while richer homes were significantly larger in size.
- Pottery tiles were used for their roofs, but houses were made of mud bricks covered in plaster with holes in the wall as windows.
- Ordinary Greeks consumed fish and vegetables, which was plentiful for its time. In addition, they ate fruits such as raisins, pears, pomegranates, and apples.
- The poor sometimes would have to catch small birds to eat and mainly drank water. They would use honey to sweeten the water, and even if they had wine it was normally diluted with water.
- The rich had more of a variety. They had the luxury of being able to eat roasted hare and peacock eggs with wine.
Life of the Poor
References
- Ancient Greek cities were protected by stone walls.
- Greece was an agricultural society, so most people made their living by farming.
- Form of wealth was defined by owning land.
- The upper and middle class were mainly male farmers, doctors, and teachers.
Education
Clothing
- Lambert, Tim. “DAILY LIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE.” Life In Ancient Greece, www.localhistories.org/GREECE.HTML.
- “18 Interesting Facts About Ancient Greece You Probably Didn't Know.” Onedio.co, 25 Oct. 2016, onedio.co/content/18-interesting-facts-about-ancient-greece-you-probably-didnt-know-12365.
- "Slavery in Ancient Greece." Crystal Links. http://www.crystalinks.com/greekslavery.html
- The majority of the population in the city were peasants, craftsmen, or slaves.
- Slaves made up 30% of the population of Athens, and mostly worked in the mines.
- Slaves were cheap; therefore, only the poorest of Greeks could not afford to buy slaves.
- Salt was often used to purchase slaves.
- Salt was popular because it was used to flavor and preserve foods, as well as an antiseptic.
- Rich families sent slaves to merely escort their boys to school.
- Tunics became the staple attire towards the end of the 5th century.
- Most tunics for the poor were made from wool or linen, but the rich could afford cotton and silk.