Mind-blowing Fun Facts About Ancient Greece

Human imagination has no limits. Since the dawn of time, people have tried to find solutions to their everyday problems and make their life easier.

In Ancient Greece, many great inventions and discoveries were made that changed the course of history.

However, some practices were kind of weird.

How on earth did they come up with those ideas?

Flying red apples

How did Ancient Greeks flirt? They threw a red apple towards the woman they liked. If the woman would pick up the apple, it was a sign she respondent positively.

Otherwise, if she ignored it, the man understood that he didn't stand a chance.

This method was also used to propose to a woman. Additionally, it was a custom for a couple to share an apple on their wedding night. The apple symbolized fertility, union, and happy marriage.

I'm sure there would have been many accidents with those apples flying around. Imagine if someone wasn't so good at aiming… The man would either knock out the girl of his dreams or end up with the wrong woman.

Practice, practice, practice those skills, baby.

You don't want to end up with the wrong girl.

Achoo… contraceptive method

You are going to love this one. In Ancient Greece, it was believed that if a woman sneezed after having sex, she could avoid pregnancy.

Say what?

According to the Greek physician Soranus of Ephesus (1st/2nd century AD), women could avoid pregnancy by sneezing after sex. He believed that the sudden contraction of the muscles would help the women get rid of the semen.

As you can tell, this method didn't have the expected outcome. Please don't try this. It just doesn't work.

Especially in these times, avoid sneezing as you will probably scare your partner. We are still in the middle of a pandemic.

Soranus of Ephesus, besides the sneezing method, used another one. He advised women to jump up and down vigorously after sex.

Apart from his contraceptive methods, Soranus of Ephesus was a great doctor.

Unfortunately, his ideas on how to avoid pregnancy weren't so accurate.

More sweat, please

Athletes in Ancient Greece trained naked and used to cover their bodies with oil. After the workout, they would scrape off the oil from their body using strigil which was a metal tool.

The oil wasn't just plain oil but fortified with sweat and dirt. This "magic" mixture of bodily fluids named Gloios was collected, bottled, and sold as an excellent cure for aches and pains.

In those times, athletes were considered celebrities, and people looked up to them. Those who bought Gloios believed that by applying it all over their body, they could get the young athletes' mental and physical strength.

Gloios was so popular that gyms used to collect every drop from floor to ceiling and sell it to the public. It used to be a huge business back then, everyone wanted to buy it.

I know what you're thinking.

Unfortunately, bringing Gloios back to the market won't work these days. Unless you want to keep everyone away from you.

Social distancing guaranteed.

Color up your life

Temples and statues were colorful in Ancient Greece, they weren't just white. Those white marbles we see today aren't the same thing Ancient Greeks designed.

On the contrary, those sculptures and temples were painted with intense colors. Unfortunately, the original paint was lost to the wear and tear of time.

Archeologists believed for many years that everything in Ancient Greece was white but pigments found on the statues proved them wrong.

Thanks to the advance of technology, archeologists found out that Greeks loved colors. Even Parthenon had vibrant colors. The primary colors they used were red, yellow, black, white and mixed them to create different variations.

Next time you want to impress your friends, tell them about these fun facts about Ancient Greece. I'm sure they'll love them.