Daily life of an Athenian in 500 B.C.

In following the daily life of an Athenian in 500 B.C., it is possible to see how the new political structure of the city worked, what the Athenians ate and wore, how they worked and relaxed, and what attitudes they had toward political and philosophical questions. In order to touch on these areas it is necessary that the subject be a free male citizen, since slaves were occupied only in the basic jobs of the household and businesses and women were largely cut off from any participation in public life. The year 500 B.C. falls early in the period after the democracy was first established (in 507) but precedes the great period of Athenian civilization known to us from its surviving art and the writings of the dramatists, philosophers, and historians.

The subject is Lysis, the 18 year-old son of a wealthy Athenian of the upper class.1 Lysis lives with his family in a neighborhood in the center of Athens in a house that is large by the standards of most of the people. The family's house contains about twenty rooms arranged in a figure 8 around two courts. The house is divided into two sections, one for men and one for women. The women, slaves and family members, all live and do most of their work in the back part of the house surrounding their court which is known as the gynaeconitis. The men's portion of the house consists of the rooms surrounding the front court, called the andronitis, and it includes the andron, the dining hall that separates the women's and men's se

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who knew how to read and write was available and Lysis' father thought it was too good an opportunity to ignore since so few women had these skills. Lysis knew his father happened to like his sister very much and wanted to please her. Many more men had been allowing women to learn reading, but Lysis' father was not usually so progressive. Yet if his sister did not have her lessons to talk about, Lysis did not think they would have much to say to each other since she seldom even left the house without an escort.11 His mother spoke with him briefly, telling him how much he could learn from his father today. His father said that he should also pay attention to his mother's example. She was known affectionately as the "bee" and her industrious habits were legendary in the family. This was certainly a much better nickname than most of the names Lysis had heard for women.12 As they walked they had time to continue their conversation. Lysis did not like to tell his father how many of the older man's ideas seemed old-fashioned to him. His father wanted to maintain control of the deme in a dictatorial fashion because he felt that he, as a true gentleman, was a better guide for the group than the opinions of less-wealthy, less w

Category: History - D