Cyril Edward Robinson

Everyday Life in Ancient Greece Cyril Edward Robinson

EVERYDAY LIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE BY C. E. ROBINSON PREFACE THERE is a story told of a certain English poet, who, as an undergraduate at Oxford, was compelled to undergo an examination in Divinity. His upbringing had not included a study of the Bible and his preparation for the examination had been wofully inadequate. When, therefore, he was asked to translate from the Greek Testament the passage describing the ship wreck of St. Paul, he read it for the first time. After he had translated a few verses with tolerable success, one of the examiners announced that that would do. No, sir, it will not do, was the surprising answer, I want to know what happened to the beggar. Its irreverence and impudence apart, nothing could have been more admirable than that rejoinder. It was wholly in keeping with the spirit of the Greeks and it is to be hoped that this book will be read, and the studyof Greek civilization further pursued by those who read it, withthe same vigorous zest for inquiry. C. E. R. Sept. 1933. CONTENTS LIST OF DATES LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS I. LIFE IN THE HEROIC AGE II. THE CITYSTATE III. LIFE AT SPARTA IV. THE RISE OF ATHENS V. ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY VI. DAILY LIFE IN ATHENS VII. WOMEN AND SLAVES VIII. TRADES AND PROFESSIONS IX. RECREATION X. RELIGION XI. EDUCATION CONCLUSION GLOSSARY OF GREEK NAMES INDEX