The 7 Most Important Items Used in Daily Life in Ancient Greece

ancient greek; An ancient civilization that shaped the modern world with its philosophers, scientists, inventions, myths, and works of art. The daily life of the people who managed to build such an important civilization is also a matter of great curiosity. Of course, so are the ordinary things that people in ancient Greece used in their daily lives.

For example, mobile phones and computers are among the ordinary but indispensable items of daily life today. Likewise, there were important but mundane items of daily life in ancient Greece! So what are these items? Here are 7 everyday items that played a huge role in people’s daily lives in ancient Greece.

How many people dedicate the most beautiful corner of their home to glowing sculptures made of wood or marble? If we asked this question to anyone who lived in ancient Greece, the answer would be very surprising!

In modern times, we are used to seeing sculptures in city squares, in art galleries, or in the gardens of public institutions. But the houses and gardens of ordinary people living in ancient Greece were decorated with many statues! Statues were ordinary but important objects in the daily lives of people in the ancient Greek civilization.

Because he believed that statues were “protective” items at that time. Therefore, sculptures made of any material, be it marble or wood, were a very common element of ancient Greek daily life. The ancient Greeks, who wanted to purify themselves from evil spirits or energy, decorated their homes with statues of gods or goddesses in the relevant area.

For example, the statue of Hermes, the god of travel and roads, was a central part of many ancient Greek homes. The ancient Greeks (even on very short trips) would not leave their home without praying to Hermes for protection. Those who were able to return home safely would not enter without expressing their gratitude to this important deity. In short, statues were among the most important everyday items in ancient Greece…

2. Drilling

Wine is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages today. But in ancient Greece, it almost had the status of an “official drink”. Of course, how wine was, which had a great place in people’s lives in ancient Greece, was also bound by some rules. According to the people who lived at that time, it was considered impudent to drink wine “drunk”. For this reason, they often mix wine with water and drink it diluted. To mix wine and water, they used wide-mouthed vessels called “pits”, usually made of ceramic or bronze.

The fact that the wine culture of ancient Greece was highly developed made many factors related to wine consumption, especially pits, important. So much so that there were pits in the midst of the ‘Seminars’ where large-scale entertainments and banquets were held or political developments were discussed. A huge crater is placed in the middle of the places where the seminars are held. The mixture of water and wine in this exquisite pot was filled into ladles and served to the guests.

On the other hand, digging was an important daily item that was also found in the homes of almost all the ancient Greeks. Pits were also among the must-haves for house parties and family gatherings. Although most ancient Greek homes had pits made of humble red ceramics, the pits of wealthy families were decorated with images of various gods and goddesses.

3. Amphora

Flasks with their narrow necks, wide necks, and handles were among the items that had a very important place in the daily life of ancient Greece. This ancient Greek pottery was used to store, store, preserve or serve almost any item. For example, “One amphora of honey and two amphora of grain” was among the most used phrases when shopping at any market.

4. Peplos and Chiton

“Dressing well” was very important in ancient Greece, as it is today. However, the fashion sense of ancient Greece was formed around two basic garments that were similar to each other. Clothes derived from a tunic, called peplos and a chiton, were clothes that people did not take off in their daily lives. Very similar versions of these long garments were worn by men and women, mostly made of wool, cotton or linen.

5. Horse carriages

Daily life was also full of difficulties in ancient Greece. Because of this, people have been looking for ways to get away from the stress of everyday life and have some fun. This is where the horse-drawn carriages came into being.

Because the most popular entertainment in ancient Greek daily life was chariot racing. For this reason, horse-drawn chariots were probably one of the everyday items that anyone living in ancient Greece would be happy to see…

6. Pregnant women

You might be surprised to hear that tripods were one of the common things in ancient Greek daily life. Because tripods are things that are mostly used to stabilize cameras or camcorders today. However, it was an important item used in ancient Greece in a similar way but for a much different purpose.

The people who lived in that period believed that a happy life was only possible by making the gods and goddesses happy. It was only possible to make the gods happy by dedicating various offerings to them and offering them different types of food. An important part of the initiation rites were large tripods made of iron or bronze.

Officials in ancient Greek temples placed large cauldrons on tripods there, and the ancient believers filled these large cauldrons with consumables such as grain, meat, or wine.

7. Animal bones

We know that animal bones have been an important material used in the manufacture of various items throughout history. However, no human society in history has attached as much importance to animal bones as the ancient Greeks.

In ancient Greece, games using animal bones and ankle bones were very popular, especially among children and the elderly. However, the bones of various animals were also used as fortune-telling tools. So much so that the most “lucky” of these rituals, in which animal bones were used, was the “Aphrodite’s Shot”, in which each of the bones took a different position and declared that lonely women would soon find love.

Finally, animal bones were also very popular with small gamblers in ancient Greece. Bones were used as a kind of dice in gambling games. In other words, animal bones were among the daily items that had an important place in the lives of almost every person living in ancient Greece, whether male or female, old or young.