A Day in the Life of a Woman in Athens

Early this morning my husband left to go the agora (marketplace). As usual I have to stay home to take care of the children, to cook and to make family clothes. I already baked bread which we ate soaked in wine and water for breakfast. My son is 7 years old and he started to go to school this year. My daughter is not allowed to go to school even though she is 13. My husband already decided who she will marry. Her future husband comes from a good Athenian family. In two years she will marry him. Today my husband will bring some friends home for dinner the servant and I will roast a lamb over the hearth. We will prepare the men’s dining room with couches so they are comfortable. My family has plenty of money but we are modest and do not buy many luxurious things. We like our life.

Olympic Games

The article is about the first Olympics and the famous chariot race between the King CEnamaus and Prince Pelops.  The king had a beautiful daughter named Hippodamia.  He said that the first man to find her could  marry her. Thirteen young men tried and failed. Everyone who failed was put to death by CEnamaus.  Prince Pelops found her and married her. Soon after the king died. 

 The Olympic festivals were just for men.  Women were not even allowed to be spectators.  Every competitor had to take an Olympic oath in which he swore that he had trained ten months before the Olympics games. Women ofte broke the rules and they went to watch the games, disguised as men.

There is a story about a runner named Pisidorus  who was being trained by his father.    However during the training the father died  and his mother start training him.  Pisidorus won the race and his mother started to cry. Everyone found out that she was a woman. After that the Olympic rules changed and women were allowed to watch and join the games.

The Spartan Way

The Sparta had the most powerful army in the ancient Greece. The army had hard training and they were much disciplined. Sparta's biggest rivals were the Athens. Sparta governed over ancient Greece from 600 B.C. to 371 B.C. City elders’ hobs was to inspect all newborn babies. Every baby who looked sick they left them on a mountainside to die. When the boys are 7 years old they must go to the hard military training. The trainees were expected to do not show any sign of suffering. The boys always went barefoot and nacked only in the winter they Can wear a cloak. They were just learned the basic of reading and writing. Spartan woman job was to have children. They thought that strong and physically fit woman had strong children. Girls and Woman could just stay at home. The woman could not wear jewelry, perfume or nice clothes.