Opposite What They Looked Like
Greeks and Macedonians wore simple, loosely draped clothing made from wool, cotton, linen, or muslin. This marble relief (c. 323 b. c.e.) shows Alexander’s friend Hephaestion and an unidentified woman.
A LOT MORE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE WAY PEOPLE LIVED IN Greece than in the lands that had made up the Persian Empire during Alexander the Great’s time. Much of what we know about the people who lived in what had been the Persian Empire comes from the Greeks, whose histories were published many years later. The Greeks did not think highly of the Persians, so it is likely that many of their accounts are biased. Distortion of the facts is a common problem whenever history as written by the victors in war is the only version available.
In both East and West, life was very different for the rich than it was for the poor, and city dwellers had different lifestyles than people who lived in the country.
Greece was not a very fertile region. It was crisscrossed by mountain ranges and only small areas were suitable for farming. Staple crops were cereals. People typically raised goats rather than cows. People also kept sheep, for wool as well as for meat. A Greek city-state included the centrally located city and also the villages and small settlements scattered throughout its territory. Life was similar for people who lived in many of the Greek city-states (with the exception of Sparta, a warlike monarchy where many aspects of life were quite different).
Macedonia was a harsh land with many mountains and lowland valleys. It had greater natural resources than Greece, but life was more difficult there. Most Macedonians were poor farmers, and much of the population lived in small villages and towns. Towns did not have protective walls, and were vulnerable to raids by Macedonia’s northern neighbors, the Thracians. In most regions of the Persian Empire, most people lived on farms and in small villages. They kept sheep and raised crops such as wheat
And barley to make bread, sesame seeds for oil, almonds, and figs. Farm goods were broadly available to the public. Some villages only had a few dozen households. For most villagers, the greatest fear was that an army would arrive and take their young men away, along with most of their food, animals, and supplies. Contact with the government was limited to the tax collector, who came once a year. Life probably did not change very much for most villagers after Alexander took over.
World History
