Contrary to the media’s depiction of houses in Ancient Greece, they weren’t as lavish. The houses of the normal and middle-class ancient Greek citizens weren’t extravagant.
The properties were made mostly of wood or mud houses. They didn’t have water running in their homes and they reared their animals. The ancient Greeks also didn’t have specific rooms for specific purposes. They had rooms that served all purposes when the need arose.
As a result of how the building materials were not so strong, they had to be rebuilt and repaired yearly. In certain regions, stones were used. However, the poor built their houses to be small with tiny windows high on the wall and wooden shutters.
The houses were mostly built around courtyards. This way, there was space to rear animals, build places of worship and cook. The houses had as many as over 12 rooms when the family was wealthy and 2 rooms when they were poor.
Land was an asset at this time. Overpopulation was a major issue and so houses and land were less than their demand.
While there weren’t specific rooms designed for specific purposes in ancient Greek society, the houses usually had a men’s room, known as andron. Here, the men hosted their visitors and dinners.
The women had their rooms, called the gynaeceum. This was usually kept away from the public. The women and men also ate separately. The houses also had a space to work.
It was rare for houses then to have bathrooms, the houses also didn’t have wells and so they had to fetch water from outside their homes. They mostly made use of public latrines and chamber pots. Wealthy people could have private baths at home.
Most of their furniture was made from reed, straw, feathers, wool and wood. They showed their social ranking most often through jewellery, fashion and parties instead of their home decor.
