Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

Private Life 131
cal record, and the only evidence that can be cited for their existence
is the discovery of finds such as loom weights that are traditionally
associated with women. More recently, some scholars have
argued that Greek houses were not primarily divided along gender
lines and that the principal spatial and architectural division was
between household members and outsiders.
The most favored location for the andrôn was on the north side of
the courtyard, which was warmed by the winter sun. The andrôn
was the setting for the symposium or drinking party and will be
discussed later (see p. 148). No archaeological evidence for the living
quarters of slaves has come to light, though it is possible that
male slaves were separated from female slaves by a locked door or
the like.
Lamps provided the main source of artificial lighting. Curiously,
there are very few references to lamps in the Homeric poems, even
though many of the scenes are set at night (e.g., The Odyssey 19.34).
From the sixth century b.c.e. onward, however, small terra-cotta
lamps become extremely common in the archaeological record.
They were provided with a wick that floated in olive oil. Several
would have been required to illuminate a single room, and often
they were set on tall stands.
Because most furniture was made of wood, and because wood
does not survive in the Greek soil, our knowledge of it mainly
derives from illustrations found on vases and sculpted gravestones.
Wood was so expensive that furniture was extremely sparse. Pieces
were probably moved around the house as different needs arose.
One of the most popular items was a chair with a curved back and
curved legs known as a klismos. Three-legged tables also appear
regularly, as do a variety of small stools. A basic necessity was the
klinê, which did double duty as a couch by day and a bed by night.
Furniture was rarely upholstered, though cushions and mattresses
were common.
Cupboards were unknown, but wooden chests used for the storage
of clothing and bed linen were popular. Musical instruments
and other objects are sometimes shown hanging from walls. Small
terra-cotta statuettes served as popular adornments. The only other
display items were painted vases, such as the lebês gamikos, a bowl
on a high stand that held the purifying water used in wedding ceremonies,
which accompanied the bride to her new home.
We also hear of cramped and poorly constructed apartment
blocks called synoikiai. These must have been death traps owing to
the prevalence of earthquakes and the frequency of fires. Synoikiai