Three Amazing Facts of Lifestyle from Greek History - Case Study Example

Introduction The ancient Greece was a civilization that lasted from the archaic period of 8th century to 6th century BC. The Greek civilization was one of the most civilized societies in the period due to its developed political and social systems. There were some many self-governing communities divided in Greece, which were separated by mountain ranges and sea. The social of most of the people of Greeks were similar except the Spartans. The Spartans were well-known for their military skills and they had strong policies in place in order to train young boys their own fighting skills. Since the ancient Greek society had limited scientific tools, they were very superstitious in nature. The eating, sleeping and working habits were completely different as compared to the modern world. Ancient Greece had the most advanced economy during the 5th and 4th century BC. The life of the workers in Greece was much better compared to the life of workers in the Egypt. However, the belief on God and the superstition among the people of Egypt and Greece was almost similar. The Greeks feared their God very much and they had different stories for different Gods they worshipped. According to their belief Zeus was the king of all Gods and there believed the existence of magicians and sorceress, such as Medusa. The people of Athens strongly believed that their temple had the ability to protect their city from natural disasters and wars. This essay highlights some important facts about the Greeks that show their superstitious nature. Discussion The Greek history has been regarded most important by historians all over the world. The ancient Greece was one of the most civilized countries and it was divided into many small kingdoms under different rulers. Among the Greeks, Athens and the Spartan histories have been most famous due to their extraordinary lifestyle and developments. According to historians, the Greek people were completely dependent on their Gods and they worshipped the Gods in order to please them. The Greeks believed that all Gods had different departments and they played important role in the life of people. The Greeks worshipped Zeus as the God of weather and the most supreme power among all Gods. Poseidon was the God of seas and he was worshipped by fishermen mainly. Athena was regarded as the Goddess of wisdom and Hades was worshipped in fear as he was believed to be the God of underworld or the dead. The Greeks imagined that the Gods gained their power due to the love and fear people had towards them and the people were blessed by the Gods in extreme circumstances. Superstition highly exists in the modern world and many people depend on religious practices however the Greeks had some strange superstitions and beliefs that seem funny in the modern world. The Greeks used to believe a lot in ghosts and spirits and they practised some strange rituals in order to stay healthy. The Greeks even worshipped some spirits and believed in black magic especially the Spartans. Greeks did not eat beans because of their superstitious nature According to author Ken Albala, there are some historical evidences that show that the Greeks used to stay away from beans because they believed that beans used to posses evils and spirits. Eating beans is very common in the modern world however during the era of ancient Greece beans were regarded as harmful. According to author Aristotle himself spoke frequently about beans and its adverse affects. According to Aristotle beans had the potential to hold evils and it could also open the gateway to the dead people. Historical evidences have also proved that consumption of beans could latch a person directly to the God of the dead i.e. Hades. This fact is really funny and it has been proved that beans have no relevance to evils or spirits. However, the ancient Greek society had strong faith in the spiritual practices and they preferred to stay away from such substances that were forbidden by their religious leaders and teachers. The ancient Greek society had limited knowledge about science and modern practices and they did-not have any research tools, which could prove them about the real facts. The ancient Greek people were highly superstitious and they used to believe in the words of each other. For an example, Porphyry used to describe everyone in their country about the magic trick performed by Pythagoras, which included beans. A beans plant was planted on a pot and it looked like a ladies’ downstairs mix-up. Later on the beans transformed into a human head. This story proved the people that beans plant had the ability to transit poor souls in them and it might be harmful if consumed. This experiment could have been a prank or an imaginary story but people took the experiment very seriously and they forbid themselves from eating beans or even going near to it. Italian historian and author, Pellegrino Artusi has written about poor beans explicitly in order to make people aware of the facts associated with the plant. First of all, beans plants were used during funerals because they were believed to attract the spirits of their loved ones. Fava beans were also used during marriage ceremonies because people believed that the plant would attract their ancestors and it would help them to share the bloodline of their ancestors. Apart from the Greeks the Romans also believed the fun facts about beans and its ability to transit ghosts and spirits. There were some other claims, such as the smell beans had after it was left exposed to sunlight. People believed that the smell of the beans was similar to the blood of murdered person. Some families believed in the facts so strongly that they used to throw beans outside their windows in order to fool spirits and keep their family away from the harm of evil spirits. The facts about beans grew so strong in the ancient Greece that they also used to connect beans with blood-sucking vampires, which was also a group of imaginary evils. The people did-not eat beans because they wanted to save themselves from the harmful effects of ghosts and at the same time they used beans to confuse ghosts and protect their families. Beans were used before vampires so that they could get confused beans to be pregnant women or living people. According to historians beans were generally sprung outside the house of people, who were believed to be affected by ghosts. It was found that there was almost negative significance of ghosts in the countries but the religious preachers made the stories so real that people had no other option except believing the facts told by the religious preachers. Greeks had a tendency to recline while dining Apart from superstition, there are several other facts that were pretty uncommon compared to the modern day lifestyle. The people of ancient Greece had the habit to recline while dining or drinking. Most of the elite Greeks and Romans wanted to lie while they had food. This practice became very common during the period and lasted for a long time. The people of Greece wanted comfort during their daily activities. The soldiers, generals, rich businessmen and emperors had the tendency to rest while they had their meals. According to the historical evidences it has been observed that the Greeks wanted to have lunch and dinner lying down with food on their side and they had the habit to drink wine while consuming their food. The Romans during the period had similar tendency as they claimed more comfort in their actions. The evidences of this practise are clearly visible on the paintings available on the antiques of ancient Greece. The Greek elites generally had the practise to recline and enjoy their meals. According to historical authors around seven to fifteen beds were arranged together for people to have their meals. The beds arranged were single beds, which would have an additional place for another person. The elite people had a small table on which the food was served to them by their slaves. Most of the times the elites used to enjoy their food while watching dance or music performed by artists. The people used to lie down partially by balancing their head on their left elbow. Most of the times they had high cushions, which would provide them extra support for perfect reclining. The elites would consume their meals with right hand and enjoy the wine in the same posture. This kind of posture requires flexible waist and daily habit, which was possessed by the people of ancient Greece. The elite people of Greece preferred to lie down while dining because they preferred to have conversation about complex topic while having food. During intense conversations they wanted their body to relax so that they could think properly. However, the idea of lying down while dining really looks funny in the modern world because it has ill-effects. The evidences of the facts were obtained from the paintings available from the cups and vessels painted during the period. The paintings show that the entertainers amusing the elite people were generally slaves, who were paid well by the guests and the owners for their participation in the dining halls. The trials of Greeks had more than 500 jury members The people of Athens had some amazing practices according to the ancient Greek history. The people of Athens used large number of jury in order to prevent bribes. The trial was held in the people’s court for more than nine hours (Wilson 401). In the modern world the hearing time is much low and there can be at-most twelve jury for any criminal case. Though the jurisdiction system has completely changed in the modern world but the procedure of trial is almost similar that people experience at present. The jurisdiction system included the participation of the king and the council members. The jury were allowed to take oath in the name of their God Zeus. According to historical evidences it has also been recorded that the member jury could also go up to 1500 based on the severity of crime and the economic power of the criminal. The reason behind including huge number of jury was to avoid bribery. It is noteworthy, to imagine the concept and the knowledge of the people of Greece during the period based on the era the progressions happened. The jury were mainly farmers because it was the primary occupation of the people. Moreover, the members of the jury were over thirty years of age and they had to be citizens of the country chosen by volunteers. On special occasions, when trials continued more than one day, the members of jury were altered in order to assure fair trial. Undoubtedly the people of Athens had outstanding political and social system and they had a democratic government wherein citizens of the country were valued. Democracy in Greece arose from the idea of equality among the people. The Athens valued democracy on a large scale and according to them a country should be ruled by its people. The Athenians believed that a democratic country should have a minimum of 501, jury because it would help them to provide proper justification. Another important fact was that the ruler of the country could suggest and debate over political issues related to war. The occurrence of war could only be decided by the council members, who represented the citizens of Athens. This system is very much similar to the modern political system of most of the countries in the world. The ministers of different states are responsible for bringing opinion of their people and the ruler must decide on the majority vote. The facts about ancient Greece are strange and they are in a way distinct. Alexander the great, the Macedonian ruler took over the throne at the age of the twenty and he became the mightiest general ever in all over Greece. Similarly, Greece gave birth to Leonidus, who was known for his brave heart and military skills. Almost of the countries of ancient Greece had civilized life and society due to which many foreign rulers wanted to conquer Greece and establish their own kingdom. Conclusion The ancient Greece civilization was one of the most important human societies established during the 8th to 6th century BC. The people of Greece had moderate lives however their income strength was highest among the entire world. The people of Greece were highly superstitious and they believed in God for their every purpose. The most important God according to their religion was Zeus the God of weather. The ancient Greeks had some peculiar habits related to superstition. They believed that beans had the ability to transit spirits and they prevented themselves from the consumption of the same. The Greeks used beans during funerals and marriage ceremonies. There were some other facts related to their dining style that amaze the modern generation people. According to historians the Greeks used to lie down and kept food in their side while dining. This was a common practise among the elite people of the Greek society. The elite people wanted to eat while they recline and enjoy music. They used to have long conversations with other people while dining and drinking. The jurisdiction system of ancient Greece was also amazing because it included more than 500 male jury members, who had to take oath in the name of God before the trial of criminals started. The Greeks incorporated huge number of jury members because they wanted to reduce the chances of bribery and initialize fair trials for the betterment of their society. The facts discussed above were some of the most amazing facts that Greeks used to follow in the past and the facts have been the base of the modern human civilization. Work Cited Wilson, Nigel. Encyclopaedia of Ancient Greece. London: Routledge, 2013. Print. Read More