What did Greeks do for a living?

Answer 1

The Greek city-state was based on the small-farmer, who had a small block of land on which he had somehow to grow grain, olives, fruit, garlic etc to feed a family. In addition, he had to maintain an ox to plough, and some chickens. For most, in usually poor country and dry-farming, it was a life of grinding poverty by our standards, and these were the well-off ones. Those who had no property worked as fishermen, artisans, potters, labourers and miners. Where the city had a navy, they had seasonal work as rowers. The upper class was very small eg in Athens the number in the cavalry was about 50 - that is only that number had sufficient land on which to graze a horse as well as farm. It is notable that this basically poor society produced in in its ranks philosophers, playrights, poets, scholars, architects and administrators - usually part time to their farming. Farmers acted and danced in the choruses (including the female parts) at the festivals. There was no specific class from which these all came: Socrates fought as a common infantryman and claimed to be worth 300 drachma - starvation level.

Answer 2

Depending on their status:

If they were: poor:slaves - Depending on gender females would be maids/ladies in waiting, Wet nurses, clothes washers and wine servers at symposiums. Men would be miners, work in the court room and get the crops in.

Poor: Markets, sewers, street cleaners, robbers, farmers, baker, army, prostitute, musician, teacher (were mainly slaves) or hori (dancer & gymnast sometimes went into prostitution).

Rich: Priests, army general, politician, oracle or nothing.

Answer 3

pottery, farming, weaving, being a soldier...