Ancient Greece and its culture are of great importance for the history of the whole world. You should know what interesting facts are there about Ancient Greece.
Greeks and water
The Greeks were not fearless, as the story goes. They were afraid of water, and a large number of people could not swim. The Greeks sailed only along the seashore.
Strange superstitions about food
Some Greeks did not consume beans, as they believed that they contained the souls of dead people.
The ancient Greeks have many myths and legends
Big gods were rich, as well as mythological monsters: Cerberus - a dog with three eyes that guarded the gate to the underworld. There was also Medusa, which with one glance could turn a person into stone.
The life of the ancient Greeks
On average, male representatives survived to 45 years, and women to 36 years. Lethal outcomes in children born were frequent, half among all newborns in the first years of life.
The birthplace of the theater
Greek theater is very different from modern. The performances were made tragic, as they contained suffering and death. Only men played in the theater, both roles for the strong half of humanity, and women. Representation went to watch only male representatives.
Greeks were not shy
Athletes who participated in the Olympic Games ran without clothes. The tradition began after one athlete slept blindfold. He was able to run naked.Also in ordinary life, the Greeks had the right to walk without clothes.
Plato was an athlete
The ancient Greek philosopher, whose name was Plato, took part in the Olympic Games. He fought with other people and was able to get several victories.
Blue-eyed goddess
Once, an ancient Greek poet said that goddesses should be with blue eyes. All the brown-eyed Greek women began to pour copper sulfate into their eyes. They did this in order to be closer to the divine ideal. The whites of the eyes then turned blue. There were serious consequences for girls with health.
Philosopher Diogenes lived in a barrel
Ancient legends say that Diogenes lived in a barrel. Greek lived in a large clay vessel of pithos. It is designed to be buried in the ground to store grain in it.
Medicine in Ancient Greece
Hippocrates, who is famous for his oath for the first time in history, studied cancer. He compared a tumor to a crab-shaped monster.
Wealthy girls led an idle lifestyle
Such Greek women had the only occupation - to watch jewelry. They did not work, did not learn to read and write. In order to feed young children, Greek women took certain milk slaves.
Democracy appeared in ancient Greece
When local residents took part in the elections, they received money. Thus, there was a high turnout of people.
Wine in Ancient Greece
Wine was a common drink, but it was not used as it is now. Alcohol was made from grapes and mixed with water.The liquid was taken only salty, since fresh was very expensive. The Greeks diluted wine with water, not only out of a desire to reduce its strength, but also because some Greek wines were very sweet, aromatic and thick, it was difficult to drink them in their pure form, although often, due to the high concentration of various substances, it was successfully used in medicine.
Music in Ancient Greece
The Greeks believed that owing to the rhythmic melody and unusual dance, the owl could be hypnotized.
Athens City
He was named after the goddess of Greece. She presented the city with the best present - the olive tree. Poseidon competed with her, he presented people with water. At first they were very happy, but when they found out that it was salty, Athena defeated.
Entering the kingdom of the dead
In order to enter the kingdom of the dead, the shadow of a dead Greek must cross one of the four rivers. They surrounded the kingdom of Hades - Acheront, Styx, Pariflegeton or Kokit. Charon, who transported the shadows of the dead through these rivers, was a gloomy, yet energetic old man. For this procedure, he charged money from every shadow.
In fact, there are even more interesting facts about Ancient Greece. No wonder it is considered one of the most developed ancient states. A large number of interesting people lived in ancient Greece, and their names still have not been forgotten.