In many Greek city-states, the wealthy, army leaders, government officials, and leading merchants had large, comfortable homes, fine clothing, and the best food. Everyone else lived very simply. (A notable exception was
Sparta, where the lifestyle even for the wealthy was-spartan.) Although the Greeks built large public buildings, houses were typically small and cramped together in crooked little streets. They were made of materials that could be found locally, such as rough stone, wood, thatch, and adobe bricks that were made from earth and straw that was dried in the sun. Many houses were made of clay bricks and had very small windows.
Versatile Olive Oil
The Greeks found an amazing number of uses for olive oil. It was used in medicine to disinfect and heal wounds, to maintain metal, as a lubricant, as soap, in religious rituals, to preserve clothing, and as a lamp fuel. Athletes spread it over their bodies as a protection against chilly weather. The Greeks used about 16 gallons of olive oil a year per person. Only about a quarter of this amount was consumed as food.
Although today both Greece and Italy produce large quantities of this fragrant green oil, Spain leads the world in olive oil production. It is still a practical commodity, as modern cold-pressing techniques allow the oil's flavor, color, and nutritional value to be retained for several months without refrigeration.
Cold-pressing is done in many stages, so that the oil is gradually pressed out. The olive oil that comes from the last pressing, called olive foots or olive residue, is inedible. But even at this final stage the oil, as in ancient times, has many uses. Olive residue is an ingredient in soaps and detergents, textiles and medicines, and of course in cosmetics.
The center of household activity was in the back, in rooms arranged around an open courtyard. The windows faced into the courtyard. (Today, many Mediterranean houses are built on a similar plan.) In the courtyard was an altar for sacrifices to the gods and a cistern, or tank, to catch rainwater. Water from public fountains had to be carried into the house with jugs, a task that fell to the women or slaves.
The couch was the most important piece of furniture in the Greek home. Couches were used for sleeping, eating, reading, and writing. Plump cushions enabled people to recline in comfort while eating. They used small round tables with three legs, which were portable and low enough to be pushed under a couch when they were not being used. Lamps made of baked earth or metal burned olive oil for indoor lighting. A person going out at night would carry a torch or a lantern made of horn.
In the Persian Empire, raw building materials included mud brick, stone, and timber. Local builders had access to limestone, but did not have granite or marble. Bitumen or mineral pitch, a black, tarry material unique to the Middle and Near East, was used for waterproofing and sealing, as a glue, and as mortar for bricks. Baked bricks were sometimes used to construct forts, temples, and expensive private homes for the nobility and those who worked for the government.
The homes of the wealthy were large and filled with expensive objects and elaborate furnishings. They often had landscaped courtyards and were surrounded by high walls of stone or brick. Zoroastrianism, the largest religion in the Persian Empire (see page 94), encouraged maintaining arbors, orchards, and gardens, and gardens with roses, shade trees, and citrus or pistachio trees were common. Many gardens also had ponds and fountains. Some of the kings of the Persian Empire planted and maintained trees in their own gardens.
The houses of poor people were much more modest. A typical house was a rectangular, two-story structure. The house was often divided into separate living quarters, and members of one or more extended families lived under the same roof. They used stairs or ladders, placed both inside and outside the house, to get to the second floor.
Bedbug Spice
The spice known as coriander, native to Greece, is actually the seeds of the cilantro plant. Its name comes from the Greek word koris or bedbug, because the Greeks thought the leaves and the unripe seeds of the plant smelled like bedbugs when they were crushed!
Most houses were built of unbaked mud bricks. Some were built on a foundation made of fired bricks or stone. The roof was made of timber beams, which were covered with three layers of material: reed matting, then a layer of lime, and finally a thick layer of mud. The ground floor was earth, covered by reed matting or swept smooth. The top floor might be covered with wool carpet, animal skins, or felt blankets.
World History
