Occupations change over the years and naturally evolve. Others are lost and replaced by the achievements of technology and other means of progress. And in Athens, you used to meet many of these professions that were lost over time.
The water-carrier
One of the most well-known professions was that of the water carrier. In Old Athens, where there were no water fountains in the houses, the water carrier assumed this job. Their supply, that is, with water every day. There was usually a water carrier in every neighborhood and he had a stable clientèle as he knew who would have a need of him. The routes he made were many and laborious. He did a lot of laborious trips and was paid about a dime per can of water. The profession of the water carrier was maintained until 1930 when The Water Company of Athens was founded.
The difficult work of the ice-seller in Athens
Another of the professions lost over time is that of the ice seller, since we have electric refrigerators nowadays. The profession of ice selling was maintained until the 1960s. The ice-carrier passed through the neighborhoods with his truck or tricycle full of ice. The housewives went out to get ice, a whole column or half of it. The ice-carrier wore his gloves so his hands wouldn’t freeze, and with a hook, he’d grab the ice, cut it off with the cutter, and give it to them. They put it in the fridge of that time which was called the ice closet. Thus, they preserved the food or had cool water. Today this seems like something very distant.
Galatas (Milkman) or just “tas”
Whoever lived in the Old Athens remembers the milkman. He shouted “milkman” or even just the ending “tas” (from “galatas”) every morning. That’s how he touted his merchandise to the housewives. Every day he had a steady clientèle and rarely was there any milk left over when he was finishing his itinerary. He was the man who used to bring door-to-door milk to the housewives in old Athens. Each one of them waited for him at the door of their house, with a jug to be filled. They bought bulk milk by the dram, a subdivision of the oka (a unit measuring liquid volume at that time).
The profession of the cobbler in Athens
All these and various other professions such as the itinerant small traders, the shoe-shine boy and the town-crier were lost over the years. Today only photographs remind us of these professions from the Old Athens.
Photo Source: One photo, a thousand words.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A water-carrier was a profession in old Athens where workers supplied households with water daily, as homes did not have water fountains. They traveled fixed routes through neighborhoods, charging about a dime per can of water. The profession ended in 1930 when The Water Company of Athens was founded and began providing piped water to homes.
Ice-sellers in Athens operated until the 1960s, traveling through neighborhoods with trucks or tricycles filled with ice. Housewives would purchase whole columns or half-columns of ice, which the ice-carrier would cut using a hook and cutter while wearing gloves to protect his hands. The ice was stored in 'ice closets' to preserve food and cool water before electric refrigerators became common.
The galatas, or milkman, was a door-to-door milk seller in old Athens who shouted 'milkman' or just 'tas' to announce his arrival each morning. Housewives would wait at their doors with jugs to be filled with bulk milk measured in drams, a subdivision of the oka (an old liquid measurement unit). The milkman had steady daily clientele and rarely had milk left at the end of his route.
Cobblers in old Athens set up outdoor workshops on streets where they repaired shoes and clothes for customers. They arranged their tools on a workbench and worked on repairs while people either waited for completion or left their items to be picked up later. This was a common street profession that has since disappeared with modern manufacturing and retail.
Besides water-carriers, ice-sellers, milkmen, and cobblers, old Athens had various other lost professions including itinerant small traders, shoe-shine boys, and town-criers. These professions have been replaced by modern retail, technology, and services. Today, only historical photographs serve as reminders of these once-common occupations in old Athens.
