Greek women had virtually no political rights of any kind and were controlled by men at nearly every stage of their lives. The most important duties for a city-dwelling woman were to bear children--preferably male--and to run the household.
The Peplos
This rectangular piece of linen was draped around the body and pinned over the shoulders with fibulae, or brooches. During ancient Greeks rituals and religious ceremonies, girls were chosen to make new 'sacred peplos' out of large pieces of fabric.
When they married, Athenian women had two main roles: to bear children, and to run the household. The ideal Athenian woman did not go out in public or interact with men she was not related to, though this ideology of seclusion would only have been practical in wealthy families.
Women in Ancient Greece were considered second class citizens to men. Before getting married, girls were subject to their father and had to obey his commands. After getting married, wives were subject to their husbands. Women were looked down upon by men and were considered no smarter than children.
Ancient Greek females also had body ideals to follow, softly shapen with rounded buttocks, long, wavy hair and a gentle face. In a time where many lived in poverty, to be larger and to carry extra fat on your body showed that you had wealth and could afford to eat to your satisfaction.
Many girls were married by the age of 14 or 16, while men commonly married around the age of 30. The son-in-law and father-in-law became allies (ἔται, etai, "clansmen") through the exchange of gifts in preparation for the transfer of the bride.
In Classical Greece, young girls usually grew up in the care of a nurse (25.78. 26) and spent most of their time in the gynaikon, the women's quarters of the house located on an upper floor. The gynaikon was where mothers nursed their children and engaged in spinning thread and weaving (31.11.
Clothing for both women and men consisted of two main garments—a tunic (either a peplos or chiton) and a cloak (himation). The peplos was simply a large rectangle of heavy fabric, usually wool, folded over along the upper edge so that the overfold (apoptygma) would reach to the waist.
Bands made of cloth, leather, or metal held the hair in place, as did elaborate hairnets. A variety of braids were used including the fishtail braid (two “legs”) worn by the Caryatids or maidens from the Erechtheion on the Athenian Acropolis.
Greece: Men - 5 feet 10.5 inches (179 cm); Women - 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm) Hungary: Men - 5 feet 9.3 inches (176 cm); Women - 5 feet 3.8 inches (162 cm)
Most young Greek women would be married at about the age of fourteen to a man roughly twice their age. Prior to the marriage ceremony the couple would probably have met only a few times, and while the bride would normally be a virgin, the husband almost certainly was not.
Women were generally not given a formal education. Although boys were sent off to school at an early age, girls were taught at home, and concentrated on domestic subjects; e.g., cooking, sewing, weaving and taking care of the family.
Boys were much more educated than girls. They had physical education where they learned sports and gymnastics. They also learned basic math, how to play musical instruments, how to sing, and how to write well. They memorized the Odyssey and the Iliad by Homer because these were the most important works in their world.
Normally young children in ancient Greece didn't wear clothing especially when they were at home. This is usually where young children spent most of their time. When children got older they would start wearing small pieces of cloth around their waists.
Greece and Rome – 400 CE
Later in history, in Ancient Greece and Rome, it was considered uncivilized to have pubic hair, so men and women used tools to pluck the hairs individually or singed them off with fire. Other forms of hair removal included razors, sharpened stones, and even forms of depilatory cream.
Athena, the city protectress, wore a helmet, with fine curls protruding from underneath. Artemis (Diana) had tightly drawn back, straight hair, whereas Aphrodite (Venus), the Greek goddess of love and beauty, had a similar hairstyle, although with more seductive charm, with a bun on the crown.
Ancient Greeks used Mediterranean sea salt mixed with olive oil to scrub and exfoliate their dry, sun-exposed bodies. This routine was quickly followed up by bath soaks to soothe skin. The salts were composed of magnesium sulfate which can help reduce inflammation and help with skin detoxification.
Ancient Greek brides often donned yellow veils and Roman brides wore red. Both colors signified the sacred flame of Hestia or Vesta, the goddess of the home and protector of life. White garments did not become the standard until the late 1800s, after Queen Victoria popularized the color amongst England's upper class.
School education in Greece during ancient times consisted mainly of learning to read and write poetry, sports, and learning to play musical instruments.
500-300BC: Ancient Greece
Ancient Greek philosopher Plato coined the 'golden ratio', a term used to this day for judging how beautiful a face was based on its symmetry. Plump, full bodies with ample bosoms, big backs, and thick thighs and arms were seen as the ultimate symbol of virility in Ancient Greece.
The hoop, the yo-yo and board games were all common forms of play (Avedon et al., 1971). Other children's games, such as swimming and diving, were competitive sports, and the author divides Greek children's games into two categories: group games and games of skill.
Female slaves are known to have been occupied in woolwork and the retail trade; they were also used as wet nurses for infants and known to have worked in craft shops around the agora. Female slaves also worked as prostitutes in brothels and as concubines. However, a concubine had no rights whatsoever.
Berengaria of Castile married Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (aged 13/14), in 1187, when she was about 8-years-old. The marriage was never consummated due to her young age.
The woman in question, Louise Signore, celebrated her 107th birthday this past weekend at the JASA Bartow Senior Center in the Bronx, and divulged her secrets: living alone and not getting married.
According to Unchained At Last, the youngest girls to marry in 2000–2010 were three 10-year-old girls in Tennessee who married men aged 24, 25, and 31 in 2001. The youngest boy to marry was an 11-year-old, also in Tennessee, who married a 27-year-old woman in 2006.