Everyday Life
Most Greek families had slaves to do the hard work.  Slaves belonged to the people they worked for and could not do what they liked.  Slaves wore simpler clothes than rich people.
Ladies  and men wore tunics called peplos and chitons  made from squares of material and fastened in different ways over their shoulders. They were tied with a belt at the waist.  Ladies tunics were full length, the ones worn by men were shorter.  
Shoes were made of leather and the sole was made of cork so that they felt bouncy.  In winter boots were worn, but many people went barefoot.
Ladies wore jewellery most of the time especially in there hair.  Greek cities had public baths but there was no soap so Greeks rubbed their bodies with olive oil to get clean then scraped the oil and dirt off with a tool called a strigel.
Houses were made of mud bricks, dried off in the sun.  Furniture was usually plain but chests were used to store possessions.  In front of most houses a statue of the God of Message - Hermes stood to guard the house.  Kitchens had open fires to cook food and smoke escaped through a hole in the roof.

 

Food and Shopping

The food of Ancient Greeks was very healthy.  The ate mostly bread, cheese, fruit, vegetables and eggs.  
Because most people lived near the sea they ate fish more than meat.  
Farmers grew wheat, barley grapes and olives.  Olive oil was very important for cooking, lighting and cleaning.  Bees were kept to make honey and honey cakes were eaten often.

 
Vegetables grew well especially  peas, beans, turnips and onions. The fruits, dates, figs, melons and pomegranates were also easily grown.  

The main meal was eaten in the evening.  Greeks had dinner parties - only men were invited and they would lie on long couches, eating and drinking wine.

Shopping was done in the market or agora each day.  Women often chatted as they shopped and exchanged their news.  The covered part of the market was called the stoa.

When babies were born the father decided if they could live.  If the father thought the baby was weak it would be left outside to die.
Girls were not as important as boys.  They did not go to school but were taught to be good wives and mothers at home.  On the day of her wedding a girl would sacrifice all her toys and show that here childhood was over.

Boys went to school when they were seven.  A rich man had a slave to take his son to school.  Boys were taught to be fit and were expected to learn how to fight.  In Sparta, when they were seven, the boys were sent away from home to be trained as soldiers.  All young men had to train as soldiers to take part in the wars of the state.  
Even girls had to do exercises so when they were eighteen they would have healthy babies.

Greek School