What did the ancient Greeks do for entertainment?

Greek adults participated in recreational activities that are very similar to those of today. They enjoyed singing and dancing and attended the theater. Sporting events were also quite popular. Today, we hear much about the Greeks and the Olympic games, but there were many others - all connected in some way with their religious beliefs. The Greeks also played board games and perhaps gambled a bit. The children loved ball games and played many that you would probably find familiar - four squares, for example. Swings, seesaws, and yo-yo's were other favorites.

What was the Trojan horse?

The Trojan horse is thought to refer to a battering ram encased in a wooden superstructure. The ancient Greeks may actually have used such a tactic in battle, but the Trojan one is legendary. Legend says that Paris, the son of Troy's king, kidnapped Helen, the wife of Sparta's king. Helen's husband then rallied the Greeks--the start of the Trojan War. After nine years of fighting, the Greeks pretended to sail home, but left behind a huge wooden horse. The Trojans brought the "gift" inside the walls of the city, only to cause their own defeat when the Greek warriors concealed inside the gigantic horse spilled out at night and opened the gates to Greek troops waiting outside the city. It was this incident that gave us an expression you may have heard - "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts." To learn more about the war, check out Homer's Illiad and Odyssey.

How did Athens get its name?

According to myth, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, wanted to guard and protect Attica, the territory in which the city of Athens is located. The patron of Attica would be the deity who gave the area its most useful product. Poseidon, the god of the sea, offered the people water, while Athena gave them an olive tree. Athena won, as it was decided the olive tree was more useful. The gods were right: The olive tree gave the Greeks olives, olive wood, and olive oil. It also has played a dominant role in Greek economy. In Athena's honor, the people of Attica named their capital city Athens.

How did the Greeks navigate their ships?

The main source of navigation for the Greeks was the sun and the starts - guess they didn't sail much on cloudy days! They did use one navigational tool - a lead weight attached to a piece of string. Sailors would drop the weight into the water to measure depth. While it is likely that some charts did exist, not one has survived - leaving us to hypothesize about their methods.

Who could be a citizen in ancient Athens?

Every male over the age of 18 who was registered in his deme or village. Resident foreigners, known as metics, could not be citizens; nor could women, even if they had been born in Athens or were married to an Athenian citizen. And, citizens were the only ones in Athens who had political rights, could hold office, and could own land.

I heard that ancient Greek children played games with nuts. Can you tell me a couple?

Marble games, played with nuts or pebbles, were great favorites. One marble game known to many ancient Greek and Roman children was played according to the following rules. The players stood at a distance from either a circle drawn on the ground or a hole dug into the ground. Taking nuts or pebbles in their hands, they tried to toss them, one at a time, into the circle or hole. Those that fell outside were forfeited. In Rome, the nuts were tossed into a jar.

Another nut game was called castellum, Latin for "little castle." Three nuts were placed close together on the ground; a fourth was placed on top in pyramid fashion. The players quickly rolled their nuts across the level ground. According to the rules, a player had three chances to scatter all the nuts in the pyramid. The first shot was made from a standing position, the second from a kneeling position, and the third while lying down.

Does today's Marathon race really have a tie with ancient Greece?

Definitely! Tradition says that after the victory at Marathon, the Athenians sent a runner named Phidippides to Athens to tell of the Greek victory. While he did make it to Athens - approximately 26 miles away - he collapsed and died after announcing the victory. According to legend, the Greeks honored Phidippides with an annual torch race. Fast-forward to 1896, and the start of the modern Olympic Games: The organizers felt it only appropriate to name the long-distance footrace the marathon. The distance has now been standardized to 26 miles, 385 yards - the distance between Athens and the ancient battlefield of Marathon.

Can you give me some examples from the law code of the ancient Greek lawgiver Solon?

Yes - Solon's laws were incised on four-faced wooden blocks set into frames that acted as turntables. Later, the blocks were made of stone, but the purpose was the same - to allow all to read and know the law. Here are three:

If two people were involved in a fight, only the person who hit first was guilty. The penalty was usually a fine.

It was an Athenian man's duty to support himself. The penalty for anyone who failed to prove he had an honest source of income was death.

Anyone who spoke ill of the dead was guilty of a crime. The penalty consisted of two fines: one to the dead person's heirs and another to the state treasury.

Did the ancient Greeks eat vegetables and fruits?

In ancient Greece, vegetables were few. Green vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, lentils, and cabbage, were sold in the market. Peas and beans were eaten raw or cooked with oil and vinegar or with honey. Root vegetables such as radishes, onions, garlic, and leeks were common fare. Potatoes, tomatoes, squash, and melons were unknown. Small apples, pears, and pomegranates are mentioned by various ancient authors. Oranges, however, did not exist.

What are Zanes?

In ancient Greece, any Olympic Games competitor found guilty of breaking a rule was fined and barred from the games. The Olympic committee used the fine money to erect Zanes, copper statues of Zeus, the ancient king of gods and men. On the base of each statue was inscribed the name of the guilty competitor and his offense. These statues lined the passageway to the stadium. As the contestants and judges made their way to the competitions, the statues served as reminders of the penalty for breaking the rules. They certainly must have been effective, since history records that no more than 20 Zanes were ever erected.

I read that the ancient Greeks used a boat called a trireme. What was it like?

The trireme was the master Greek warship. It was a long wooden vessel with a keel, frame, and planking. Lining each side of the ship were three rows of oars, each positioned above the other. The total number of oarsmen was 170. Each trireme also had a rectangular sail that could be rolled up and a mast that could be lowered. The Greeks usually extended the keel into a bronze figure or shape known as a ram, which they used to pierce or "ram" enemy ships at close range.

Greek actors wore masks. What were they made of?

Greek actors wore large, elaborate masks that were constructed from a framework of wood or cork. They then covered the frame with brightly painted leather, or linen stiffened with clay. Inside some was a small megaphone-type device that helped project the actor's voice. The mask fit like a helmet, entirely covering the actor's head and resting on his shoulders. (Women were not allowed to act.) The Greeks had a number of standard masks. Each represented a particular type of character in a play.

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