The Peculiarities of the Golden Age of Athenian Culture - Essay Example

Essay The Golden Age of the Athenian culture has definitely had a huge impact on the everyday living of people which could be defined as the routine followed both in the house and at work. The life style of the people in classical Athens depended mainly on their economic status. The everyday life of an aristocrat differed from that of a peasant not only in its appearance but also in the role played by every member in the family. An average household in ancient Greece consisted of a husband, his wife, their children and their slaves (Classical Period, 1998). The house consisted of two stories in which the men occupied the first floor and the women stayed in the second floor (Dunkle, 2008). Marriages were solemnized based on suitability rather than emotional feelings like love. It was believed that love would subsequently develop between the husband and the wife after marriage (Classical Period, 1998). The main purpose of marriage was to procreate, and in the ancient times a male child was more welcomed than a female heir (Classical Period, 1998; Dunkle, 2008). The women were generally kept under the control of the man. It was the father before marriage, while after marriage the husband would decide on the way the women should live. It became his responsibility to teach his wife the duties which she would have to perform. The women were married off in their teenage years to a much older groom. A marriage contract was usually made and a dowry agreed upon by the groom. The women in the household were confined to the upper floor and she was refrained from meeting the male visitors of the husband. Both the man and the wife had specific duties to perform. The women took care of the household chorus and other activities such as weaving and spinning (Dunkle, 2008; Mason, 2009). They took part in religious ceremonies and were entrusted the work of bringing up the children. Women seldom went outside the house, except to markets and they did not have any other civic rights as a citizen. Thus most of their time was spent inside the house, overseeing all the matters of the home, in which she had the final say. However in contrast, women who belonged to the less privileged society were forced to wok in markets, even though it was not considered ideal (Classical Period, 1998; Mason, 2009). The husband spent most of his time outdoors at his work or in physical activities and in places like the farm or in the battlefield in times of war (Dunkle, 2008). It was a male dominated society and as it was the war period many men were soldiers by profession. They made important decisions regarding the welfare of the city and its people. Apart from work men, from the upper economic status, usually spend their time in gymnasia’s and attended social gatherings which included food, drinks and discussion about varied matters. Those who belonged to the middle income group, worked on the land, while those in poverty were engaged as slaves. Thus men spent very little time in the house (Classical Period, 1998). The relationship between the parents and their children were cordial. While the mother had no problems with the children, there was a healthy rivalry between the father and the son, especially if the son was more educated than the father. The father could not accept the modern ideas of the son and the so called generation gap was quite evident even in that period. Siblings got along well but disputes did arise with regard to sharing of property (Classical Period, 1998). This is quite similar to the situation in the modern day world where generation gap between parents and children is existent. The male child gained more prominence than the female child. The child is given a name on the tenth day that it is born and the son was enrolled into the father’s brother after his sixteenth birthday and another time after his eighteenth birthday where at a formal gathering the father had to swear that his son was born to his legitimate wife and this had to accepted by those present in the gathering. It was only after this that citizenship was accorded to the child. In addition another criterion for granting citizenship was that both the parents should be of Athenian descent. This rule restricted the number of citizenships given to the people. This restriction was regarded by many as a means to protect democracy as there would be a large number of citizens who would want to participate in the democratic proceedings (Classical Period, 1998). If there was no male heir parents could adopt a male child and mostly they preferred to adopt a male who had come of age. They had to transfer the family property and also enroll him into the father’s brotherhood much like that for the legitimate son. Illegitimate children were no given any rights within the house. The upbringing of the children was the duty of the mother until about seven years of age. The children played with toys such as rattles and were also told fables and stories about heroes. After which the boys were sent to school where he was given private tutoring. Initially there were no schools in Athens but gradually groups of children went to study under a teacher and these teachers established permanent schools. Education was primarily meant to prepare the younger generation for peace and war and also to train them in arts. The children were taught to read, write. They learnt arithmetic’s, music, and drawing and underwent physical training in gymnastics for the purpose of maintaining the health. However a teacher was considered inferior even though he educated the children. Boys were not sent alone to school. He was usually accompanied by a slave to protect him from the advances made by the older boys and for this reason schools generally opened before dawn and closed before dark. Boys who came from a poorer family opted to work after gaining formal education, while those from the affluent families continued their education. When the boys were around eighteen it was customary for them to serve two years in the army which helped to bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood and made them ready to be part of the society (Classical Period, 1998; Dunkle, 2008; Greek Culture). In contrast to the boys, the girls of the classical period were not educated in schools; instead they had primary domestic education. It was only in the Macedonian period which followed the classical age that women were given formal education and played a more important role in everyday life. In the classical period they were only taught the art of knitting, spinning and cooking and the knowledge of how to raise children (Mason, 2009). The people of the Athenian period were deeply religious and worshipped many gods and goddesses, the most important being the twelve gods of Olympus. In the classical period there was a firmly established religion and many festivals and processions were arranged to express religious feelings. People also offered individual offerings to their deity through sacrifices and other dedications (Classical Period, 1998; Greek Culture). The religious beliefs were expressed mainly through festivals that were celebrated honoring the gods and goddesses. The name of the months in the calendar corresponded to some of the festivals that were being celebrated. However some major festivals like the Panatheneae were not named according to any month. The reason behind every festival celebrated varied as some festivities marked the changing seasons, while some was in accordance with agricultural harvest and some festivals were exclusively meant for the womenfolk and so on. The Panatheneae festival was the most important festival in which all the citizens of Athens excepting the slaves could take part and occurred on the first month of the Attic calendar. This festival was celebrated in remembrance of the birthday of Athena, one of the gods of Olympus, who is the patron of the city and after whom the city was named. The festival was marked with a lot of celebrations that included athletic and music contests, dancing, processions and offerings such as meat (Classical Period, 1998; Dunkle, 2008). Apart from the religious festivities there were other cultural events that took place during the classical age. One such event was the Apaturia, which celebrated the inclusion of young men as citizens of Athens. Another such festival in which the womenfolk alone participated was the Thesmophoria. This was celebrated to honor the mythical Demeter, her daughter and the fertility of womanhood. The women offered pigs as an offering and the event included processions and fasting. The women were allowed by their husbands to attend the event. However unmarried girls could not attend it. The Eleusinian mysteries was another cultural cult that was celebrated in honor of Demeter. While in the former event the woman folk mourned the disappearance of Demeter’s daughter, the latter cult rite was performed to mark the reunion of the mother and the daughter. Unlike the previous event, both men and even salves could take part in the Mysteria event. This even lasted for nine days and involved processions, pig sacrifices and fasting. The ear of corn was an important symbol of the cult festival and was believed to symbolize the existence of life after death. In addition the golden age also saw the introduction of new cults and deities from nearby cities such as Egypt. Abstract ideologies such as peace and luck were also celebrated (Classical Period, 1998). Death was also observed with the same honor as life. One of the most important aspects was being buried in one’s native soil. Hence the greatest punishment accorded to the citizens was denial to be buried in the land. People held the belief that after death they will be escorted downwards to Hades. The rites were performed by the immediate relatives of the deceased person or by friends and the community. The expenses for the burial were high as several offerings were made and the ritual process itself was expensive. In addition, the building of graves was according to the economic capacity of the family. However, it was emphasized that the family of the deceased must visit the grave and offer tributes regularly. The process of burial included mourning on the first day when the corpse is bathed and dressed by the women and laid out for all the relatives and other members. On the third day the corpse was taken in a procession and buried at the burial site after the rites were performed. Seeds were planted in the grave. There were various types of grave built some were just dug as pits and covered while other were layered with tiles and for some tombs were built. In case of small children, bathtubs were used for burial. Empty tombs were also built for those whose bodies could not be found. A practice of grave offerings was also followed and the most widely offered gift were clay pots, marble vessels and statuettes. A pot with water was kept outside the house of the deceased and the mourners cleansed themselves with that water when they took leave. A funeral banquet was later held in the house of the dead when relatives and friends would share their grief. On the ninth day a rite was performed which is cited when there is a legal case. A final ritual marked the end of the mourning period after which the family returned to normal life; however, it did continue to pay homage to the dead by frequent visits to the grave and performing the anniversary rites. Cremation of the dead by burning the body to ashes was also practiced rarely in the classical age. The bodies of warriors who had died in the battlefield were buried in public graves. The grave had the name of he dead inscribed on it. The cost of the funeral for these warriors was met by the public and annual ceremonies were also held in their remembrance (Classical Period, 1998). Democracy was born during the flourishing classical age of Athens. The vital role played by Athens in the victory of Greece over the Persians made the city highly powerful, which made it the economic and political centre under Pericles who held the highest official position during most of the golden period. Pericles was mainly responsible for bringing about major reforms in politics, culture, architecture and arts (Classical Period, 1998; Explore Greece History, 2003). Many Greek cities forged an alliance with Athens owing to this. Magistrates were chosen by lots who held all the key positions and were accountable to the public for all their actions. Many steps were taken to prevent the misuse of power by the magistrates. A citizen could hold one office only once excepting the office of the board of generals. A citizen could serve for any number of years as a general who were elected unlike the other posts. This was because while a normal less experienced citizen could serve in other offices, a general would have to be effective and experienced in order to handle the military forces. Political decisions were made in the assembly which was a large meeting which could be attended by all male citizens above the age of 18. In the assembly people had the right to speak their minds and if they supported a decision they would have to raise their hands when the final decision was called. Then there was a Council which was entrusted the job of preparing the agenda for the assembly and looked into the activities of the magistrates. It consisted of about 500 members from different tribes and they met everyday. This council was in turn aided by about 50 council members and a chairman was chosen among them who was entrusted with the temple keys where the state funds, records and seal were stored. Thus almost any citizen who had an interest to serve the society could take part in Athenian politics. The city had its law court which was constituted by about 6000 jurors who were selected from among the public every year. In each trial the number of jurors was selected by an allotment machine and also they were assigned the case on that day and hence no juror will know whether he would be selected or which case he would be involved in. Thus this system helped to prevent any form of bribery. The lawyers and judges were not qualified in law but were just ordinary people. The accused was allowed to defend him and after the hearing the jurors finally gave their verdict through votes. The system was fair in the treatment of citizens and everyone was expected to follow the judgment. Despite the unbiased and people friendly politics, it was completely run by men and women and slaves were not part of it. This was a major drawback in those times. Except for this, the system worked very well and the welfare of the society and the people was a major priority of the democracy (Dunkle, 2008). Another class of people in Athens was the Metics. They were aliens who were allowed to stay in the city. However they did not have the right to own land and were not involved politically. They were primarily businessmen who improved the commerce hence were liable to pay tax to the state. Usually a protector, who was a citizen of Athens, would have to guarantee that the Metic could be granted permanent residency (Classical Period, 1998). One other essential class of inhabitants in Athens was the slaves who were either born in to slavery or were forced in to it due to wars and other conditions such as illegitimate birth. In some cases if a family needed money they would sell one of their children, usually a girl child, as a slave. It was a period when slavery was at its peak as slaves were bought from the slave markets like any other household item and the slave was indebted to stay with the master and serve him. They could also be sold or rented out if they were not required. There were also subject to maltreatment by their owners. In some well- to- do households the slaves were treated as part of the family. Slaves were either used as a domestic aid or in public places such as factories shops and mines. The females were generally assigned household chorus while the males were sent to work in the farms and other public places. As mentioned earlier, these slaves were not given any democratic privileges and were even refrained from getting married (Classical Period, 1998; Greek Culture). Arts both performing and hand work gained a lot of prominence during the classical age. In fact Athens is widely considered as the birthplace of arts as a lot of creative talent and incomparable works were made during this period. The sculptures depicted human body in all its finesse and paved the way to portrait painting on wood and hide and later to mosaic art, ceramic works, vase painting and terracotta statuettes. Sculptures were usually made out of bronze. Architectural sculptures were found in buildings as decorative pieces such as those found in the panels and pediments of the Parthenon. Sculptures were also a prominent feature in the temples of Zeus, Athena Nike and many more. Free- standing sculptures were found in these temples, which portrayed the figures of gods and goddesses. In addition there was vase-painting and metal framework which also exhibited an aesthetic essence. Architecture reached its peak during the classical age. Beginning with the eruption of the walls around the city, several important monuments and temples were built in Athens. The Parthenon, which was a Doric style architectural temple that was built in the Acropolis, had several unique features to its credit. Right from the marble used to the paintings and the ceilings and other interiors, it’s the architecture stood out for its magnificent splendor. The other structures such as the Propylaia, which was the entranceway to the Parthenon, and the famous temples like the one built for Athena Nike, the small shrine of Erechtheion, The Hephaesteum, which was the temple of Hephaesteus, the temples of Poseidon and Nemesis were all great works of architecture. There were other halls and theatres that were built with wonderful architecture. The theatre at Dionysus did not have a specific stage but a circular area where the artists performed and another seating area around the circle where the audience assembled. With regard to the town planning, the city which was once ravaged by the Persian wars was transformed in to a more people friendly place by architects such as Hippodamus. He introduced the Piraeus model of township in which eight similar houses was built in an area as a single building. In addition roadways and ports were also developed (Classical Period, 1998). In order to promote and beautify Athens theatre and drama was conducted as the festival of the Great Dionysia. It was during this that poetry was believed to have originated and it was sung as a song along with music and dance. In addition the classical age saw the birth of many playwrights who wrote both tragedies and comedies. To stage one’s play the play writer had to submit his plays to the Archon who decided on the sponsor for the play. The plays were held at the theatre and the juries for the plays were chosen by a lot system. They were entrusted with the work of watching all the plays and appraising a set of judges who were also selected by the lot system. These judges then decided on the award and the order in which the plays should be staged for public viewing. Several distinguished playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes staged their tragedy and comic plays and educated the people through theatre (Classical Period, 1998; Explore Greece History, 2003). Thus the golden age of Athens saw many advances especially in the fields of politics, arts and culture. The money got from the defeat of Persia was used in transforming the city and the people truly lived in a golden period until the Peloponessian war in which Athens was defeated and Macedonia became the supreme economic and political power in Greece. Reference: 1. Classical Period. (1998). Retrieved August 11, 2009, from http://www.fhw.gr/chronos/05/en/ 2. Dunkle, R. (2008). Athenian Daily Life. Retrieved August 11, 2009, from http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/dunkle/athnlife/index.htm 3. Mason, M.K. (2009). Ancient Athenian Women: A Look at their Lives. Retrieved August 11, 2009, from http://www.moyak.com/papers/athenian-women.html 4. Greek Culture. Retrieved August 11, 2009, from http://www.crystalinks.com/greekculture.html 5. Explore Greece History. (2003). Retrieved August 11, 2009, from http://www.hellenicadventures.com/greece/greeceHistory.html Read More