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?