Ancient Greece was a place of wonder and scientific
discovery, but it was also a world of odd
behavior and strange traditions.
From olive oil on everything but the kitchen
sink to intentionally eating that yellow snow,
here are some of the most bizarre things the
Ancient Greeks did:
16.
Strongman -
We’ve all seen the bodybuilders and professional
athletes of today, but did you know that this
type of physical training began long before
any of us were born?
In fact, people were exercising religiously
as far back as Ancient Greece.
They trained a little differently than we
do today but their hard work paid off, which
we’ve discovered through the famed history
of Greek athletes.
One ancient wrestler, named Milo of Croton,
has gained recognition through centuries for
his outstanding physical performance in the
Greek Olympic games.
Part of his muscular development came from
his childhood workouts, in which he would
pick up and carry a calf every day until it
reached adulthood.
He is also said to have hauled a bronze statue
of himself to its resting place in Olympia.
Milo’s meal plan was one for the ages as
well; his daily intake was reportedly twenty
pounds of bread, twenty pounds of meat, and
eighteen pints of wine.
We all probably wish we could eat this much
without it going straight to our thighs, and
maybe if we start lifting full-grown bulls
on a regular basis, we can.
Milo of Croton won a total of six times in
the Olympics and several other wrestling competitions.
Unfortunately, he met his demise when he tried
to take on a tree, got stuck, and a pack of
hungry wolves came up from behind him.
Needless to say, the wolves ate well that
night.
15.
The Musical Fruit -
Nowadays it’s all paper slips and electronic
processes, but back in Ancient Greece voting
was an entirely different story.
Any guesses at how they performed this political
practice?
That’s right; they used beans!
Not only are these legumes great for consumption,
but they also worked wonders when it came
to electing new officials.
The tradition began with the candidates placing
their helmets in a line, facing upward.
People would choose their preferential aspirant
by placing a bean or pebble in that person’s
helmet.
After the votes were cast, the beans were
counted and whoever had the most would win
the election.
It was as simple as that!
The term “spill the beans” has its roots
in this ancient practice as well.
Although they used this method to vote for
political candidates, they also used it to
vote on other matters.
People received one white bean and one black
bean.
The white bean meant “yes” and the black
bean meant “no.”
Voters dropped their legume of choice in a
jar, and once voting concluded, they counted
the white and black beans.
However, if somebody accidentally overturned
the jar ahead of time, the beans spilled out,
and the outcome was no longer a secret.
14.
Birthday Suit -
We’ve all grown to love the ever-expanding
athletic clothing industry.
However, back in Ancient Greece, nothing like
that existed.
In fact, wearing any covering was prohibited
while men pumped iron...or bulls… in the
gym.
The Ancient Greeks gave a lot of attention
to their physiques, so it isn’t shocking
that they were nude during exercise.
Even the origin of the word “gymnasium”
comes from the Greek word “gymnos,” which
means naked.
Plus, they oiled themselves up before weightlifting
routines, giving “extra virgin olive oil”
a whole new meaning.
People would frown upon these traditions in
the typical Planet Fitness.
But, considering their vast achievements in
the athletic world, one can’t help but think
the Ancient Greeks were on to something.
13.
Barrel of Fun -
There are plenty of things that come in barrels:
wine, ale, monkeys, etcetera.
However, we aren’t talking about any of
those things.
Back in Ancient Greece, it was said that a
particular philosopher spent many hours in
one of these wooden containers.
Diogenes the Cynic was known for his criticisms
of city life and culture.
He was a simplistic man who believed that
he belonged to the entire world instead of
just his country.
Although Diogenes was said to have slept wherever
he wanted to, he even enjoyed napping inside
barrels often enough to be depicted in one
of them centuries later.
12.
An Apple a Day -
We’ve all been spoiled with the extravagant
marriage proposals of the modern day, the
dozen rose anniversary gifts, and the cutesy
Valentine’s Day cards we receive in February
every year.
However, back in Ancient Greece things were
a bit rougher.
They say “an apple a day keeps the doctor
away,” but with how the Greeks used apples
they probably had more doctor visits.
A man would hurl one of these Granny Smiths
at the woman he wanted to marry.
If she caught it, they’d tie the knot in
no time.
But if she didn’t, she either wasn’t interested
or maybe she just wasn’t a fan of flying
fruit.
11.
Caterpillar Brows -
In recent times, it was common for women to
pluck their eyebrows to the point of having
nearly nothing left.
But, fuller brows have been making a comeback
lately.
However, these bushier eyebrows are nothing
compared to what the Ancient Greeks considered
“on fleek” back in the day.
Although they didn’t necessarily want women
to sport full-on unibrows; they preferred
dense eyebrows that almost touched in the
middle.
They wanted them to appear connected, without
actually joining together.
In fact, ladies often filled in the middle
section of their eyebrows to meet those interesting
standards.
10.
Sanitary Stones -
One-ply, two-ply, or ultra?
How about none of the above?
When it came cleaning oneself after a restroom
break, the Ancient Greeks didn’t use toilet
paper.
Almost all of us have had to get creative
in the bathroom when there is no tissue left,
but since they didn’t have Charmin back
then, they had to come up with another way
to wipe.
They often used fragments of pottery or stones
to tidy themselves afterward.
Allegedly, the Greeks would sometimes carve
their enemies’ names into the clay before
wiping.
There are also records of wealthier people
using a stick with a sponge attached at the
end.
9.
Never Cry Wolf -
Most people have no idea what the origin is
of the fashionable spiked-collars our dogs
wear today.
Although nowadays these studded collars are
used to make our canine friends look cool,
they had a legitimate purpose in Ancient Greece.
Dogs were tasked with herding animals and
keeping livestock safe.
So, the dogs needed protection as well.
To accomplish this, Greeks placed a ring of
spikes, called a “wolf collar,” around
the dog’s neck so that wolves wouldn’t
be able to attack them.
By doing this, man’s best friend didn’t
endure the same fate as Milo of Croton.
8.
Sneeze Away -
Birth control is a controversial subject.
Nevertheless, people have been trying to prevent
unwanted pregnancies as far back as written
history goes.
Although some methods have proven more effective
than others, the Ancient Greeks arguably had
the worst prevention technique around.
After an intimate act, women would squat down
and sneeze in hopes of dislodging the male
specimen.
They also tried kicking themselves in the
rear and jumping around, which resulted in
a great cardio workout but didn’t accomplish
the task at hand.
7.
Urine Test -
Medical practices in Ancient Greece weren’t
what we’d consider normal or even acceptable
today.
However, since they lacked modern technology,
they had to work with what they had, including
their own taste buds, to diagnose illnesses.
One of these methods was tasting the patient’s
urine.
If the flavor was too sweet, the doctor would
assume the patient had diabetes.
But urine wasn’t the only thing these physicians
would taste; they would also try a patient’s
earwax to determine ailments.
It has even been stated that they would taste
things like vomit and phlegm as well.
Luckily for us, especially for doctors, medical
practices improved significantly with time.
6.
Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater!
-
Tricksters who messed around with the Olympic
games in any way had to face serious consequences
for their actions if someone caught them.
They were often stricken with rods or sticks
and forced to pay hefty fines.
There are numerous recorded incidents of these
deceptive folks being found out.
One example was a man named Damonikos of Elis.
He gave a monetary incentive to the father
of his son’s wrestling competitor to ensure
his boy reigned victoriously.
After somebody discovered his efforts, he
and the other father were penalized and had
to pay up.
Another instance of deception happened when
a boxer, Apollonius, showed up late to the
competition and lied about the cause of his
delay.
He stated it was due to unfavorable weather
but people discovered he had been making money
elsewhere.
For his untruth, he had to pay a fine.
During a different time at the Olympic games,
there was a mother who wanted to see her son
compete.
However, the laws prohibited women from viewing
the tournaments.
So, she disguised herself as the boy’s coach.
Unfortunately, she became too enthusiastic
when he won, and her identity was revealed.
5.
Nectar of the Gods -
It may seem absolutely disgusting now… and
to be honest, it was just as gross back then...
but for the Ancient Greeks, this was a daily
routine.
What was this tradition exactly?
Well, people drank the sweat of their favorite
athletes.
Before they began grappling in the ring, racing,
or discus throwing, competitors would slather
themselves in olive oil.
In fact, olive oil seemed to have a place
in nearly every event in Ancient Greece.
But anyway, after they greased themselves
up and conquered their various physical feats,
they wouldn’t shower like we do today.
Instead, they would use a curved metal device,
also known as a “strigil,” to scrape off
all of the dirt, sweat, and oil from their
bodies.
This less-than-appetizing mixture was called
“gloios.”
After they collected the fluids and placed
them in bottles, merchants would sell it to
people as a form of medicine.
Gloios was supposed to help with various discomforts,
including muscle aches.
People would drink the concoction on occasion,
but more often they’d rub it on the problem
area.
4.
Zombieland -
We all have nightmares of these decrepit creatures.
Well, a lot of us do anyway.
But, it might surprise you that the Ancient
Greeks feared them as well.
A few years ago, archaeologists came across
some interesting graves in a necropolis called
Passo Marinaro.
One of the skeletons had heavy pieces of ceramic
covering its feet and head, and another had
five sizable rocks on top of it.
These odd burial techniques are thought to
have been a way to keep the person underground.
They believed in legends that phantom-renditions
of those who had passed on would arise and
haunt the living.
So, they decided to be safe rather than sorry
and made sure that there was no way in Hades
that these guys were coming back up.
3.
Water to Wine -
Many of us would think this practice is just
crazy-talk as we often prefer our wine full-strength.
However, the Ancient Greeks would consider
us quite uncivilized for partaking in undiluted
wine.
It sounds strange coming from a civilization
where drinking sweaty oil was the norm.
Nevertheless, they preferred their fermented
grape juice watered-down.
They added some H20 or snow, if they wanted
a chilled beverage, to the wine to avoid going
insane.
It was said that Cleomenes I lost his mind
because he drank it unmixed.
The Ancient Greeks also thought that drinking
undiluted wine could cause all sorts of barbarous
behavior, such as hurting oneself, hurting
others, or losing all sense of rationality.
To be honest, they weren’t necessarily wrong.
2.
It’s Not Dasani -
We’ve all grown accustomed to the vending
machines we see in hospitals, schools, and
offices all around the world.
However, many of us don’t consider where
this convenient machine originated.
Just like many other useful inventions, Ancient
Greece is responsible for this one as well.
Hero of Alexandria was a Greek engineer and
mathematician.
It has also been stated that he was from Egypt
but became Hellenized.
However, one thing is for sure; this intelligent
man gave the world its first vending machine.
But this contraption didn’t dispense Coca-Cola
or Dasani; it gave everyone something a bit
more unique, Holy Water.
When a customer placed a coin into the machine’s
slot, it landed on a metal plate, which lifted
a lever, opened a passage, and allowed a specified
amount of the blessed liquid to come out.
Once the coin dropped from the pan, the water
came to a halt.
1.
Mud Bath -
It’s evident that Ancient Greeks were very
attentive to their physical appearances.
They stayed fit, they gleamed in the sunlight
after a quick oiling, and they filled in their
eyebrows to get that sought-after fashionable
look.
But, we also know that they weren’t the
most sanitary people.
If you thought that it couldn’t get more
disgusting than urine-tasting, gloios-drinking,
and derriere-cleaning stones, you were wrong!
Their skin-care techniques went far beyond
olive oil.
They would bathe in mud, which isn’t unheard
of today, but they would add a little something
in the bath… something that came out the
back end of a giant reptilian creature.
Yep, you got it!
They mixed crocodile feces into their otherwise
normal spa-bath.
They believed the concoction would tighten
and tone their skin and slow down the aging
process.
Would you try any of the crazy Ancient Greek
skin-care routines?
