Athenian Private Dwellings
Athenians lived in a variety of different kinds of private dwellings in the
city proper1, in its densely populated suburb around the main harbor of
Piraeus2, in villages of varying sizes scattered throughout the countryside of Attica,
and, occasionally, in isolated farmsteads. The majority of city and suburban dwellers
lived in
apartment buildings3, which could
be several stories high. Most apartment dwellers probably crowded themselves and their
families into no more space than a room or two, which they rented from the building's
owner, because they could not afford a very high rent. Wealthier people in the city
owned individual homes, but they frequently had a house and land in the countryside,
too. Dwellers in the countryside owned or rented houses that varied in size from tiny
bungalows to larger structures perhaps on the scale of a small modern house that might
be accompanied by other farm buildings such as sheds. Indeed, Athenian private houses
in both in the city and the country were generally modest in size.
City Houses
Archaeology has not been able to reveal much detail about the
homes of
residents of Athens4 because the modern city covers the remains of
almost all the residential districts of the ancient city and thus inhibits
excavation. Nevertheless, we know that homes in ancient Athens were wedged
haphazardly against one another along
narrow, winding streets.5 Even the residences of rich people followed the same basic design of
bedrooms, storerooms, and dining rooms grouped around open-air courtyards. Some
houses had more than one story. The women and men of the household usually had
rooms set apart for their separate use6, especially if there were
infants or small children7 in the family. These youngsters would be looked after in the women's
quarters, but all members of the household would see each other frequently despite
the notional division of the interior space of the home by gender and age. The
architectural tradition of grouping the house's rooms around a courtyard facilitated
contact among all the members of the household, who included the slaves of the
family. Wall paintings or works of art were as yet uncommon as decoration in private
homes.
Sparse furnishings8 and simple furniture were the rule. Water for household needs had to be
fetched from
public fountains.9 This onerous and constant work was performed by women and the household's
slaves. Sanitary facilities usually consisted of a pit dug just outside the front
door. The pits were emptied by
collectors paid to dump manure10 outside the city at a distance set by law.
