Greek Culture
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Greek culture is one of the first things that come to peoples mind when they think of ancient Greece. Ancient Greek culture was definitely a mainstay and one of the defining features of their legacy. A main concept in their culture was the worship of Gods, including Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, Hermes and many more. The earliest signs of this were found in Homers Iliad where it described the interactions of humans and gods.
Several features of ancient Greek culture are male chauvinism, military training, especially in Sparta, democracy in Athens, the Olympic Games, the Greek gods and goddesses and slavery. Focusing on slaves, they could be found everywhere. They worked not only as domestic servants, but as factory workers, shopkeepers, mineworkers, farm workers and as ships crew members. Many families in need of money often sold off their daughters as slaves for money.
The price one might have paid for a slave in ancient Greek times varied depending on their appearance, age and attitude. Those who were healthy, attractive, young and submissive, could sell for as much as 10 minae ($180.00). Those who were old, weak and stubborn might have sold for as little as 1/2 a mina ($9.00). If there happened to be a large supply of slaves on the market, the price automatically went down. This usually happened after winning a large battle, when there were many prisoners of war.
The segregation of male and female roles within ancient Greece was justified by philosophical claims of the natural superiority of males. As we shall learn, slave women were at a disadvantage in Greek society not only because of their gender but also because of their underprivileged status in the social hierarchy.
Slave labor was an essential element of the ancient world. While male slaves were assigned to agricultural and industrial work, female slaves were assigned a variety of domestic duties which included shopping, fetching water, cooking, serving food, cleaning, child-care, and wool-working. In wealthy households some of the female servants had more specialized roles to fulfil, such as housekeeper, cook or nurse.
Xenophons Oceonomicus reveals that