Uploaded November 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The most surprising facts about the mythology, medical practices, technology, and beauty treatments of Ancient Greek Civilization! From what they used for toilet paper to their unusual workout clothes
#13. “Apple of My Eye”- There have been some really strange ways that people have expressed their love for each other, but the Greeks nailed it with the weird tradition of throwing an apple at the person you wanted to marry. If the person you wanted to marry caught the apple, this would mean they accepted your proposal. The sources don’t say how hard they threw the apple, but it is fun to picture an ancient greek chucking the apple as hard as they can, giving the phrase ‘think fast’ new meaning. This tradition stems from the belief that apples were sacred to the goddess Aphrodite as she was awarded a golden one when Paris of Troy chose her as the most beautiful of all goddesses--which he only did because she promised him Helen of Troy, inevitably starting the Trojan War. Because Aphrodite was the goddess of love, apples became a large part of Greek romantic tradition. Aside from proposals, it was common for newlyweds to eat apples on their wedding night and people gave apples to each other as an ancient type of valentine.
#12. “Political Exile”-In a practice which we wish was still in use today, if the ancient Athenians thought anyone, especially politicians, were doing a terrible job or were considered politically or socially dangerous to the city, the citizens were allowed to take a vote on whether or not the person should be exiled. This practice was known as ostrakismos [aw-strah-kiz-mos] which is the origin of the English word ostracise. If the person received 6,000 votes they would be banished from Athens for ten years, and if they attempted to return they would be executed. However, on some occasions after a few years they could be voted back, which happened a few times when the city needed the person.
#10. “Tax Shaming”- In order for a democracy to function properly you would think that strict rules on taxation would have to be enforced so that the rich wouldn’t take advantage, but in ancient Greece this was far from the case. The Greeks practiced self-policing in many ways and the idea of paying your own fair share for the greater good was no different. Yes, there were rich and there were poor, but the Greeks had an ingrained understanding that in order for society as a whole to improve everyone had to make sacrifices. For those blessed by the gods with wealth it was only natural to give back. For the most part, in modern society this is something that must be forced on people via law, otherwise, there would never be funding for public works or necessary governmental institutions. To get the rich to pony up--all the Greeks had to do was to accuse someone of being frugal in their donations. This was a rare occurrence, because in ancient Greece, the way to really brag about one’s wealth was to give the biggest donation. It was also embedded in their culture that most riches were accrued via luck, so there was no inherent shame in being financially less fortunate.
The most surprising facts about the mythology, medical practices, technology, and beauty treatments of Ancient Greek Civilization! From what they used for toilet paper to their unusual workout clothes
#13. “Apple of My Eye”- There have been some really strange ways that people have expressed their love for each other, but the Greeks nailed it with the weird tradition of throwing an apple at the person you wanted to marry. If the person you wanted to marry caught the apple, this would mean they accepted your proposal. The sources don’t say how hard they threw the apple, but it is fun to picture an ancient greek chucking the apple as hard as they can, giving the phrase ‘think fast’ new meaning. This tradition stems from the belief that apples were sacred to the goddess Aphrodite as she was awarded a golden one when Paris of Troy chose her as the most beautiful of all goddesses--which he only did because she promised him Helen of Troy, inevitably starting the Trojan War. Because Aphrodite was the goddess of love, apples became a large part of Greek romantic tradition. Aside from proposals, it was common for newlyweds to eat apples on their wedding night and people gave apples to each other as an ancient type of valentine.
#12. “Political Exile”-In a practice which we wish was still in use today, if the ancient Athenians thought anyone, especially politicians, were doing a terrible job or were considered politically or socially dangerous to the city, the citizens were allowed to take a vote on whether or not the person should be exiled. This practice was known as ostrakismos [aw-strah-kiz-mos] which is the origin of the English word ostracise. If the person received 6,000 votes they would be banished from Athens for ten years, and if they attempted to return they would be executed. However, on some occasions after a few years they could be voted back, which happened a few times when the city needed the person.
#10. “Tax Shaming”- In order for a democracy to function properly you would think that strict rules on taxation would have to be enforced so that the rich wouldn’t take advantage, but in ancient Greece this was far from the case. The Greeks practiced self-policing in many ways and the idea of paying your own fair share for the greater good was no different. Yes, there were rich and there were poor, but the Greeks had an ingrained understanding that in order for society as a whole to improve everyone had to make sacrifices. For those blessed by the gods with wealth it was only natural to give back. For the most part, in modern society this is something that must be forced on people via law, otherwise, there would never be funding for public works or necessary governmental institutions. To get the rich to pony up--all the Greeks had to do was to accuse someone of being frugal in their donations. This was a rare occurrence, because in ancient Greece, the way to really brag about one’s wealth was to give the biggest donation. It was also embedded in their culture that most riches were accrued via luck, so there was no inherent shame in being financially less fortunate.
