by Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Thu Sep 23, 2004 11:31 pm
Theban Social structure:
There isn’t known much of the social structure except what has survived. Like most societies, they clearly had upper classes and lower classes. The ordinary citizens worked usually for the rich on the land, etc… These ordinary people had to raise and educate their own children. With the nobility, children were educated by third parties. Like Athenian women, Theban women probably did not enjoy much rights and freedom. They could not give their opinions on matters of the state or religion. They could attend them as funerals, marriages and were allowed to visit their female neighbours for a short period of time. There is a possibility that there were also companion women in Thebes. Since I did not find anything relating to Thebes on this matter, I can only speculate. These companion ladies gave men companionship and were well educated to be able to participate in discussions. Sex was not excluded. From the age of 12-14 boys and girls were taken under the wings of an older person. An adult male for a boy, an adult female for a girl. Those adult persons must mentor those kids and teach them everything there is to know about everything they know: including love and sex. This does not necessarily mean that there was a sexual relationship. Boys were separated from girls during this time and were expected to listen to what their mentor had to say. Most of the time, the two became friends and sometimes even lovers as homosexuality, bisexuality and heterosexuality were normal things to them as heterosexuality is to us nowadays, even though there are still a lot of people out there who are homophobic and this reflects on our entertainment. You would find rarely a hero in a action flick or blockbuster flick that portrays the man or women as bisexual or homosexual. They didn’t do this with Achilles in Troy. They made him from a bisexual warrior to a heterosexual warrior. It still shows that major audiences still have biases towards homosexuality.
Anyway the relationship between the boy and the adult male was to prepare the boy to adulthood and life in the real world. Girls were educated at home. This does not imply that they couldn’t write or read. Most women could read and write. The hetaerae were companion women who went to special schools to be educated as the most interesting conversation partner for men who could afford to pay them. In most Greek city-states, when young, the boys stayed at home, helping in the fields, sailing, and fishing. At age 6 or 7, they went to school. Ancient Greek children played with many toys, including rattles, little clay animals, horses on 4 wheels that could be pulled on a string, yo-yo's, and terra-cotta dolls.
Birds, dogs, goats, tortoises, and mice were all popular pets! Cats, however, were not!
Greek houses, in the 6th and 5th century B.C., were made up of two or three rooms, built around an open air courtyard, built of stone, wood, or clay bricks. Larger homes might also have a kitchen, a room for bathing, a men's dining room, and perhaps a woman's sitting area.
Although the Greek women were allowed to leave their homes for only short periods of time, they could enjoy the open air, in the privacy of their courtyard. Much of ancient Greek family life centred around the courtyard.
The ancient Greeks loved stories and fables. One favourite family activity was to gather in the courtyard to hear these stories, told by the mother or father. In their courtyard, Greek women might relax, chat, and sew. Most meals were enjoyed in the courtyard. Greek cooking equipment was small and light and could easily be set up there. On bright, sunny days, the women probably sheltered under a covered area of their courtyard, as the ancient Greeks believed a pale complexion was a sign of beau
Romulus
Quintus Aurelius Orcus
Rector ColRel
Rogator
Princeps gentis Aureliae