1. By Professor
Ki Jung Park

2. s

The civilization of ancient Greece developed between 800BC and 146BC. It
could found in the southern part of Europe, surrounded by the
Mediterranean Sea. It is still interesting to learn about the structure of
society, food, beliefs and architecture of ancient Greece. We can learn a lot
from this civilization.

3. Food

In ancient Greece food was a very important
part of the life . Most Greeks ate fish because
they lived near the sea. They also ate small
birds, cheese, cakes, fruit, meat and milk from
goats. The Greeks made wine from grapes and
oil from olives. They hunted for their food, too.
When it was time for breakfast, lunch or dinner
women and men didn’t eat together. Women ate
with the children in a separate part of the house.
Rich people ate mainly bread, olive oil, meat,
fish, vegetables and fruit, accompanied by
watered-down wine. Poor people ate almost the
same foods, but less meat which was expensive.
Therefore, it is clear that the ancient Greeks ate a
variety of foods.

4. Architecture

The ancient Greeks were famous for their architecture,
especially their huge public buildings and temples. To
build houses, the Greeks used sun dried bricks made
from mud. They used wagons to carry the bricks from
quarries. Rich people lived in a big houses with many
rooms and walls around the outside. Poor people’s
houses were much smaller. The Greeks built temples
that had mathematical columns. There were three
kind of columns, called the Doric, Ionic and
Corinthian. Columns were used for decoration and to
hold up the roof. Lots of temples were built for gods
or goddesses. Therefore, temples were a very
important part of architecture for the ancient Greeks.

5. Beliefs

In Ancient Greece, people believed in many gods and
goddesses. Zeus was most important god. Hera was
his wife and the Queen of heaven. Apollo was god of
music, so people went to his temple if they wanted to
know about future and Hermes was the messenger of
gods. Also there was Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
Each god had one temple. People believed that the
gods lived on Mount Olympus and controlled
everything. There were 12 main gods and many more
who lived together on mount Olympus. From this
evidence, we know that the gods were very important
in the lives of ancient Greek people.

6. Structure of society

In ancient Greece, men and women had different
roles in society. Boys went to school when they
were 6 years old to learn reading, writing, adding,
appreciating poetry, and music. When boys grew
up in Sparta, they joined the army. Greek men
could go to the Olympics and vote in the
democracy (in Athens). However, girls were
different. They didn’t go to school. They stayed at
home and helped their mothers. Girls learned
cooking, weaving, cleaning and married when they
were very young. They also learned dance and
music. They were not allowed to go to the
Olympics or vote. Their job was to stay at home
with children. It is clear that men and women’s
place in society was very different.

7. 
 This report has included information all about ancient Greece. It has
described the architecture, food, beliefs and structure of society. This
civilizations was very important because of the mathematical
discoveries which we still use today. Congratulations – you know all
about ancient Greece now!

8. Reference list

 Author Date Title
Loven, Rance & Wood 1992
Richard Dargie 2008
Schessinger Media 2004
Ms O’Dwyer 18.10.11