Did you know that chastity is a sacred virtue among women in ancient Greece up until they are married?

If the modern women are restricted to doing the activities of the women in ancient Greece, the number one cause of death among them would be depression. Those who lived in the time of the ancient Greece were purely confined to their homes. They are said to be in command of the household, which in simpler terms, making sure that the homes are clean and the children are well-cared for.

Almost all resources regarding the women in ancient Greece speak mainly about those from Athens. This is probably due to the fact that most of these literatures were written by Athenian men. It wasn’t clearly stated whether women in other parts of ancient Greece lived differently from how the women in Athens did. But, those from ancient Sparta seem to be the one that is strongly emphasized to have lived otherwise.

Women in ancient Greece were divided into three classes. The slave women, who had the task of carrying out domestic chores, comprised the lowest class. The second class was made up of the citizen women, while, the third class, known as the hetaerae, were women of high stature. Unlike the first two classes, the hetaerae were the women in ancient Greece that were not deprived of education. They were not also banned from entering the Agora or any other structures that were off limits to the two other classes. There are some literatures however, that point out the hetaerae as in the level of the prostitutes and that whatever power they have was not that considerable.

Raising women in ancient Greece entail a different kind of responsibility. Boys are trained to be men early on. However, girls were confined to the homes and were made to practice chastity until after they are married. And although the women in ancient Greece portrayed an important role in their numerous festivals, they, along with the children, were not allowed to watch the Olympic Games as most participants compete without any clothes on. The only game that the women in ancient Greece were allowed to participate in was the chariot race. And the only time they could win was if the horses won and these were their own.

Modern women certainly enjoy a level of freedom that the women in ancient Greece probably never even dreamed of. Theirs was a life of utter obedience. People have accused the Greek men, up to this date, as male chauvinists. Much as we grumble about the role (and the lack of it) of the women in ancient Greek, we can’t change that. And why bother? Women in ancient Greece never did.

Often we have to look to our past to understand our future. Considered one of the first great civilizations, Greek culture is studied in depth. This brings us to the subject of the practical attire of the people.

Attire Worn By the People of the City-States of Greece

The culture of the city-states of the early Greek civilizations has been easily researched from carvings, tombs, ruins, sculptures and art depicting scenes of their every day life. Greek clothing was very simple and light, even for the mythical religious figures. A comprehensible fact to keep in mind is the hot climate of Hellas, the historical name of Greece.

Greeks wore loose clothing generally white or otherwise dyed in bright color or bleached. Typical attire consisted of several pieces with the chiton confectioned in linen for summer and wool during winter. The chiton was a long square garment attached along the arms with pins to make sleeves and a belt round the waist. It is quite similar to the tunics we wear today. Chitons were unisex pieces made by mothers, daughters, and female slaves using long pieces of fabric. Chitons generally were decorated with embroidery on the bottom representing the city-state in which the individual lived.

Historians and archaeologists have found that the clothing, like art, was influenced by the different Greek periods. They found particular Doric clothing existed from the beginning of the archaic period, and other versions from the Ionic that was a later adoption of the original. Research found that women wore peplos, a sort of shorter embroidered tunic, placed over chitons.

Depending on the weather, some Greeks wore cloaks or loincloths, sometimes used as a blanket if needed. Greeks used to walk barefoot, particularly in the house. Outdoors they sometimes wore light leather sandals or boots in rocky terrain. Babies usually wore nothing, except linen diapers, while children’s clothing consisted of cloth wrapped around their middles. Older men wore draped mantles either alone or over their chitons. An item typically only worn by travelers was the Chalmys, a smaller rectangle placed over one of their shoulder.

Chitons and peplos were the basic garments worn by Greeks for centuries. When it came to attire, the people of the city-states of Greece were definitely interested in simplicity and comfort.

Why do the ancient Greece Olympics participants take off their clothes before competing? Do their clothes get in the way when they wrestle each other?

Are you a sports-minded person? If you love the Olympic Games, you probably know where it all began. Otherwise, you’re missing out on something. Shame on you.

Greece is where the Olympic Games all started from. The ancient Greeks adored sports and almost all cities in ancient Greece had their own gymnasiums, where athletes went for training. One particular city, Olympia, is known to be the biggest host for the ancient Greece Olympics. It was the venue for all ancient Greece Olympics done every four years. These games were very much celebrated and were even made as a foundation of the Greek calendar.

The term Olympiad, in the ancient Greek time system, means the era between two ancient Greece Olympics. The first Olympiad happened in 776 BC. All the games in the ancient Greece Olympics, held in Olympia and anywhere else in Greece, were all in accordance with the religious festivals. These games were actually conducted as offering to the gods. The ancient Greece Olympics held in Olympia were all done to honor the greatest god – Zeus. There were wine, grain and animal sacrifices made during the first day of these ancient Greece Olympics. Games included were long jump, boxing, chariot and horse races, wrestling, and non-strenuous ones like poetry and drama.

The ancient Greece Olympics were very important that wars engaged by the different cities were ceased so that people may be able to travel safely to watch the games. This is in sharp contrast to what happened in the 20th century when Games were cancelled because of the World Wars.

Athletes who competed in the ancient Greece Olympics were all naked. This is not because they can perform without their clothes, but they need to show off how much effort they put in for their training. Gymnasium was actually derived from the Greek word “gymnos” which meant “naked”.

Not everyone can compete in the ancient Greece Olympics. Men, who were not free citizens of the country or have committed murder, are not allowed to participate in the games. Women were excluded from participating and from watching the ancient Greece Olympics. Those who were caught violating this law were thrown down from the cliffs.

The ancient Greece Olympics sure sounded very exciting. Too bad, men had to show off their abs. Otherwise, women could have shared in the thrills of the games.

For those considered to be male chauvinists, men in ancient Greece did not seem to be bothered by the fact that they wore basically the same thing as the women were. If there were jeans available in ancient Greece, would they have opted for those?

Generally, the ancient Greece clothing means light and loose clothes because of the fact that they have hot weather for most parts of the year. Men’s attire was called a chiton, which looked like a tunic. This was actually just a square-shaped cloth that was fastened at the waist by a belt, and kept in place by pins positioned at the shoulders.

The ancient Greece clothing for women was just as simple. Likewise, theirs are made from a big square-shaped cloth that was held in place by the pins. If the length of the ancient Greek clothing for men is in line with their knees, the women’s had their down to their ankles. It has been said that the ancient Greece clothing for women varied during the different time periods. Aside from the chiton, they were said to have worn the himation and peplos as well. The former was initially worn as a cloak, but was eventually just made to drape on the shoulders. The peplos was folded on the upper part and was made to pass under the left arm and secured on the right shoulder.

In the absence of diapers, what could ancient Greeks have used on their babies? None. Ancient Greece clothing does not include any specifics for babies. They were not clothed at all, although sometimes, when the weather is cold, they were wrapped up with cloths. Children often use the cloths to wrap it around their waists.

The ancient Greece clothing was mainly made from two types of cloths, the linen, and the wool. Ancient Greece clothing made of lines was worn during the summer season. Obviously, those made from wool, which is the thicker kind, was reserved for the cold winter season.

Since ancient Greece clothing was very simple, most families during that time, made their own. Mother, daughters, as well as the female slaves, all pitched in to help make the clothes. These were sometimes adorned with decorations in accordance with the city-state in which they belonged.

However uncomplicated ancient Greece clothing was, men and women never quite seemed dressed enough unless they have styled their hairs and were contented with what they see in the mirror. Men in ancient Greece popularized the barber shop, and women use hair-styling stuff like scented wax and lotions to keep their hairstyle in place. And even if Ralph Lauren and Estee Lauder were unheard of during that time, boiled flowers and herbs served for a great perfume.