MATT

Life in Ancient Greece was extremely different from our present time. Kids would be sacrificed if they stole something. They were punished in school, forced to go to war, forced to be slaves, forced to marry, and were able to marry at thirteen. Life as a child was very difficult. Have you ever thought it would be awesome to be a child in Ancient Greece, well think again.  Both daily life and education were very different in Sparta than in Athens, or in the other ancient Greek city-states. Children played with toys, like rattles, clay animals, horses on wheels, yo-yo’s, and terra-cotta dolls. Families who were richer had greater amounts of toys, poorer families were expected to work for the family at a much younger age. They kept pets such as dogs, pigs, tortoises, and caged birds. Children spent majority of their time with their mother. They stayed in the women’s part of the house. At the children’s puberty point they were considered adults and could marry. The goal of education in the Greek city-states was to prepare the child for adult activities as a citizen. Not being able to bear children was seen as a curse from the gods. People considered children to be “youths” until they reached age 30. Overall being a child was pretty harsh in Ancient Greece. Do you think that being born in Ancient Greece would be the best day of your life? Babies born in ancient Greece often had a difficult time surviving. When a child was born to a Greek family, the father carried his child in a dance around the household. If a baby was born deformed, it might be abandoned on a mountain. Sometimes abandoned babies were rescued and brought up by slaves by another family. Many died in the first couple days therefore; babies did not receive names until the seventh or tenth day of life. Children were wrapped up in cloths until they were about two years old to insure straight and strong limbs. Families decorated the doorway of their home with a wreath of olives for a boy or a wreath of wool for a girl Babies did not live for very long at all, because usually abandoned they were abandoned. As a baby your chances of living were pretty slim. Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a girl living in ancient Greece? While girls were being raised, they would receive their entire education and training in the home with their mothers which was not too exciting. Their job was to help their mother, and to help in the fields, if necessary. Like their mother, they could go to certain festivals, funerals, and visit their neighbours for short periods of times which were sort of unfair. Girls reached their puberty point at the age of twelve or thirteen. In Athens, girls stayed at home until they were married, they must have been bored to death. After marrying, the women were expected to have a baby. Then after marrying the girls would then bring their childhood toys and left them at the temple of Artemis. As a girl living in Greece was pretty safe but very boring. As a boy, in Ancient Greece life was tough. Many cities required males to reach the age of thirty before they were able to participate in city politics. When young, the boys stayed at home, helping in the fields, sailing, and fishing. At age 6 or 7 they went to school. Spartan boys were sent to military school at age 6 or 7. The boys lived, trained and slept in their barracks of their brotherhood. At school, boys were taught survival skills and other skills necessary to be a great soldier. Boys were not fed well, they were told that it was fine to steal food as long as they did not get caught stealing. They walked barefoot slept on hard beds, and worked at gymnastics and other physical activities. The boys were subjected to strict discipline and harsh physical punishment. The boy’s school courses were very hard and often painful. The boys were taught to take pride in the amount of pain they could endure. At age eighteen, boys were required to join the army for two years of service. At 18, Spartan boys became military cadets and learned the arts of war. At 20, they joined the state militia—a reserve force served until they were 60 years old. Overall being a boy was no fun at all. We are in a much safer environment. We also have technology. Think what it would be like if you had no T.V, no MP3’s no technology at all! Would you like to be forced to go to military school when your 6 years old, or stay at home until you are married. Overall being a kid in ancient Greece was no fun
 * Ancient Greek Children**

By: Matt Dahms