I just came back from a holiday in Greece where it is 40° Celsius at the moment and expected to get even hotter in late july and august. It's next to impossible to do any manual labor outside during the day. Athens (again) opened up airconditioned public buildings as shelter for those at risk of heart disease.
Were temperatures the same some 2500 years ago? How did the ancient Greek handle it?
Yeah, more or less. Granted, it is impossible to pinpoint something as specific as the temperature in a particular area, but the recent global warming issue means that there are lots of descriptions of climate history.
I know it feels like it is impossible to do farm labor, but if you go outside of Athens you will see people doing it all the same. I have personally done archaeological work in more punishing climates than that and it is really just something you get used to an wear a big hat.
I would love to see an answer to this. I, for one, have always been curious if thousands of years have had an effect on the taste of fruits and vegetables. As in, back when 100% of the fresh water on the planet was unpolluted by industry, did a tomato taste different?