Women in Ancient Greece

The Life of Women in Ancient Greece

#111: Ancient Greek Marriage

Museums



article horizontal

Its special contents are masterpieces of art in the prehistoric Aegean, such as the famous wall paintings and the unique gold ibex figurine. The museum houses finds from the excavations at Akrtotiri, conducted under the auspices of the Archaeological Society at Athens, the earlier excavations at Potamos, made by members of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens, and rescue excavations at various other sites on the island, carried out by the 21st Ephorate of Antiquities.
The exhibition endeavours to sketch the course of Thera in prehistoric times, through selected finds from the thousands in the storerooms. This was a dynamic and creative course which established the city at Akrotiri as one of the most important Aegean centres during the 18th and 17th centuries B.C.

source : http://mail.santorini.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99&Itemid=80&lang=en

Ancient Thera

---

Ancient Thera stands on Mesa Vouno, at an altitude of 396 m. It was founded in the 9th century BC by Dorian settlers, led by Theras; habitation continued until the early Byzantine era. Excavations have mainly brought to light the areas built during 2007. Routes are well-planned and marked with signs. The position is naturally fortified because the steep slopes of the mountain made the city inaccessible from land or sea and also a great observatory to the SE Aegean Sea. Public and private buildings are built along the main axis of the city in direction from the NE to the SE corner of the rock. Smaller cobbled streets adapted to the terrain, intersected the main road. Building remnants belong to the Hellenistic era, which is the last period of the city's prosperity. The residential development is amphitheatrical due to the inclination of the terrain and to the building in such way so there was a view of the sea. Few private houses have been excavated organized in neighborhoods, mainly in the eastern part of town. The habitation sites were built around a closed courtyard and beneath it was a tank collecting rain water. Homes had more or less spaces, or were developed vertically with a second floor depending on the social and financial status of the residents. (Data taken from the text of archeologist Angeliki Birtacha in the book "Santorini: And the sea brought forth the earth"/ Topio Publications). Key monuments THE SANCTUARY OF ARTEMIDOROS: The rock-hewn sanctuary, dating back to the late 4th/early 3rd century BC, was founded by Artemidoros of Perge, admiral of the Ptolemaic fleet. Engraved inscriptions and symbols of gods worshiped at the time can be seen on the rocks. THE AGORA: Built at the city centre, its south side was the commercial centre, while the middle part was the administrative centre of the city. At the northern part, constructed during the Roman years, there are several monuments, a stoa, and temple-shaped buildings. THE ROYAL STOA: Dating from the era of Augustus (1st century AD), it stands at the SW edge of the agora. Statues of the Caesar's family stood at its northern side; on the western wall, two insert inscribed plates mention that the stoa was restored by the Cleitosthenes, a wealthy resident of Thira, in 149 AD. THE TEMPLE OF DIONYSUS: North of the Agora stands a small Hellenistic temple of Doric order, dedicated to Dionysus. The façade and roof were marble, while the rest of the building was made of locally-mined stone. It dates from the 3rd century BC. THE AREA OF THE SANCTUARIES: At the southeast edge of the city, it contains only open-air or covered sanctuaries, dedicated to Apollo Karneios, Hermes, Hercules, Ptolemy III, and others. In addition, there is the square where the festivities to honor Apollo Karneios (Gymnopaediae) took place. There are many inscriptions ranging from the Archaic to the Roman period engraved on the rocks. THE SANCTUARY OF APOLLO KARNEIOS: Dating back to the 6th century BC, it is partly rock-hewn and partly built on a retaining wall. It comprises the temple, a square yard with an underground cistern, and a small building, possibly a sacristy. GYMNASIUM FOR EPHEBES: Dating from the 2nd century AD, it stands on the south side of the city; a partly rock-hewn cave survives, dedicated to Hermes and Hercules. THE CEMETERIES: On the hillsides of Sellada and flanking the roads to the northern and southern ports of the ancient city –the modern Kamari and Perissa respectively– lie the cemeteries of Ancient Thira. Burials ranging from the Geometric up to the Roman period have been uncovered. THE THEATRE: Built in the era of the Ptolemies (3rd century BC), it stands on the SE part of the Agora. In the 1st century AD, the stage was expanded, occupying part of the original orchestra. INFO The site is open from 8:30-14:30; Mondays closed. For information, please contact the museum of Prehistoric Thera: Tel.: +30 22860 23217 Ancient Thera and the largest part of its cemeteries were excavated by the German archaeologist Friedrich Hiller von Gaertringen, from 1895 to 1902; the Sellada cemeteries were excavated by N. Zafeiropoulos from 1961 to 1982. In November 2000, an exquisite female statue of a Daedalic-style Kore, dating back to 600 BC, was found in the cemetery by archaeologist Charalambos Sigalas.

source : http://mail.santorini.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98&Itemid=79&lang=en#prettyPhoto

Photo Souvenir Album Part1

Religion in Ancient Greece

Ελληνική Γαμήλια Τελετή - Hellenic marriage ritual

Τελετή Ελληνικού Γάμου - Hellenic marriage ritual

Έτσι δημιουργήθηκε η Σαντορίνη...Ένα απίστευτο βίντεο! [Santorini Volcan...

Ηφαίστειο Σαντορίνης και Μινωικός Πολιτισμός / Santorini volcano and Min...

The Orphic Hymn to Dionysos (Χαίρε Νύμφη) .:. by Daemonia Nymphe.

Ancient Greek Weddings

Age: Girls were about 12-15 when they married. Men were usually about 25-30. Many marriages were arranged. In some cases, the bride had not met her husband until the say she married. In some families, the bride was promised to a groom when she was about 5 years old, and then 10 years later, they married.

Dowry: A woman had to bring a dowry with her when she married. A dowry was a gift of money, property, cattle, or something else of real value. The woman's parents worked out an acceptable dowry directly with the groom, unless he was still supported by his parents. In that case, the two sets of parents worked out the details.

Ceremony: In most of the Greek city-states, people were married after dark. The ceremony started with a veiled bride traveling from her home to her future husband's home. She had to stand in a slow moving chariot or cart or some wheeled vehicle all the way. Her family and friends walked behind the chariot. Some carried gifts. Some carried torches to light the way. Some played music to scare away evil spirits.

When the wedding party arrived at the groom's home, the groom would give his bride an apple. The bride ate a bite of the apple to show her basic needs would now come from her husband. There was more to the ceremony, but that was the main activity that needed to be done to seal the deal.

When they were married, people feasted and drank wine and looked at the gifts. Gifts were like wedding gifts today, household goods and perfumes and vases and baskets.

Weddings were very different in Sparta. In Sparta, after a short friendly physical fight between the bride and the groom. The groom won if he and the bride wished to be married. The groom would toss his wife over his shoulder and carry her off. That concluded the wedding ceremony. Then, like all the Greeks, wedding guests feasted and toasted the new couple.

Divorce:

Women: Divorce was possible in ancient Greece. All a woman had to do was leave her husband's home and live somewhere else and she was divorced. Her husband had to return her dowry, or a value equal to her dowry. This all sounds pretty easy, but it wasn't easy. Women in most of the Greek city-states were not allowed to hold jobs. Her father might not want her back. Men had the legal right to forcibly stop a wife from leaving. And although she supposedly got the value of her dowry back, her children stayed with her husband. That alone discouraged many women from leaving.

Men: Men could also divorce their wives. A man could throw his wife out of the house. He could return her to her father's home. He could give her to another man to be his wife. Although he had to return her dowry, it did not need to be in the same form. For example, if her dowry was property, and that property had been sold, he could give her a dangerous bull as equal value and tell her to remove it immediately.

Not all divorces were friendly. But divorce in ancient Greece was common.

source : http://www.greece.mrdonn.org

International Weddings

Greek Weddings

Marriage in the Eastern Orthodox Church

Photo source : https://www.flickr.com

Two or three days before the wedding, the couple organizes a celebration called Krevati (Greek for bed) in their new home. In Krevati, friends and relatives of the couple put money and young children on the couple's new bed for prosperity and fertility in their life. After the custom, they usually have a party with food and music. 

On the day of the wedding, usually Saturday, but also Friday or Sunday, the groom cannot see the bride until the wedding ceremony. The groom usually arrives first in church and waits for bride, who usually arrives late. After they exchange flower bouquets, they have the wedding ceremony, where the best man puts the wedding rings and crowns on the couple. The couple drink red wine from the same glass (between one and three sips, depending on the tradition). This is not "communion" in the formal religious sense, but about sharing the cup of life. At the end of the wedding ceremony, as the newly wedded pair leave the church, the guests throw rice and flowers for fertility and felicity. Special guests, such as close friends and family receive sugar-coated almonds (traditionally an odd number, usually seven but sometimes five) as a gift from the couple. Most Greek ceremonies are Orthodox. 

After the ceremony, usually the couple hold a great wedding party in some place with plenty of food, drinks, music and dance, usually until next morning. The wedding party starts with the invited people waiting for the couple, who usually come after some time. They start the party dancing blues and eating a piece of their wedding cake. In some point of the party, they also dance the traditional zeibekiko (groom) and Áiftetelli (bride). 

In many places of Greece, where they hold a more traditional wedding, they usually play only traditional music and eat local food. For example in the region of Cyclades, they eat the traditional pasteli (solid honey with sesame) and in the region of Crete they cook rice with goat. In most traditional weddings, they bake whole animals like pigs, goats or sheep just like the Greek Easter celebration. Before the church ceremony, especially in smaller areas, usually friends and relatives of the bride and the groom, accompanies them separately to the church playing traditional instruments, according to the region 

A typical Greek wedding will usually have more than 100 invited people (but usually 250-500) who are friends, siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, first or second cousins, neighbors and colleagues. It is common to have guests whom the couple has never met before. This is because the people who will be invited are usually determined by the parents of the couple and not by the couple themselves. Traditionally, the whole village would have attended the wedding, so very often the parents invite friends of theirs and their children, to the weddings of their own children. 

There are many other traditions which are local to their regional areas. One famous tradition is the pinning of money on the bride's dress. This custom originated in one part of Greece, where it is a substitute for wedding presents, however it has become more widespread recently. 

source : http://www.world-wedding-traditions.net

Santorini…

Great poets have sung its praises, a 4.000 year old history.
And the eternal rock continues to stand, strong and majestic, rising proudly from the sea and guarding well the secrets of Atlantis…

source : https://www.santorini.net