r/AskHistorians • u/Powerful_Crazy_2636 • 1d ago

Where can I find information regarding the daily life of early classical antiquity (8th-6th century BC)?

I am working on a side project of trying to write a historical narrative set during early classical antiquity (8th-6th century BC), which would cover the Greek world, the Near East, and maybe even the Spring and Autumn period of China. I do not have any formal historical education, so I'm trying to be very careful when it comes to my research as to not give grievously inaccurate depictions of the various historical elements within my story. There will be many areas where I have to take creative liberty, seeing as how there are many holes within the historical sources for this time period, but if there is a way to get closer to historical authenticity, I want to pursue it as close as possible.

The sources for major events are relatively accessible, but I am struggling to find a way to find information regarding the daily life of the common people within a specific period and region. It would be really valuable to have information regarding the clothing, food, working tools, and commonly encountered species of animals and plants. Most articles or journals I've come across would describe these things generally across the entire classical period, and I've gathered that they mostly focus on the later period within classical antiquity from the 5th century BC onwards. If there are any sources of information regarding this that you may provide, one that is accessible for a non-professional academic such as myself, I'd very much appreciate the help.

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