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13-05-2015, 03:19

Training the Children

In many Greek city-states, poor children began helping on the farm or in workshops by the age of 10. If they lived in the city, both girls and boys would learn a trade by helping their parents in their daily work. The more fortunate might become apprentices to skilled craftspeople.

In Persia, children under the age of five were taken care of by their mothers and other female relatives. Children did not see their fathers very often before the age of five because it was thought that it would be too hard on their fathers if the children died. (Infant mortality rates were high.)

Starting at five, life was different for girls and boys in the former Persian Empire. Girls stayed home and learned homemaking skills, such as spinning thread and weaving cloth. They did not learn to read and write,

But they did learn how to sing and play instruments. For boys, formal teaching began at the age of five. Boys typically received religious education and training in trades and special skills, and trades were passed down from father to son. Wealthy Persians who did not need to learn a trade were taught to ride horses and to use a bow and arrow. Persian nobles built huge parks and hunted in them.

Three Wives

Macedonian and Persian kings practiced polygamy. Alexander married three women, all after leaving Macedonia. The first was Roxane in 327 b. c.e.. Then, in 324 b. c.e., he married both Parysatis, the daughter of a Persian nobleman, and King Darius III's daughter Stateira. All Alexander's marriages were thought to have been politically motivated.

Persian kings carried polygamy much further. Some had as many as several hundred wives, who lived together in their own housing. This group of wives, concubines, female relatives, and servants occupying housing that is specially set aside for them is known as a harem.

All children also received training in traditional and family values. They were taught to emphasize strong family ties, to be concerned about their communities, and to accept the authority of the king. They were also taught to tell the truth. Telling a lie was considered to be a grave disgrace.