Classics Assignment - women and religion Flashcards
What type of religion was Ancient Greece and Rome? what did this mean?
Religion within the ancient world, primarily Greece and Rome, was polytheist; meaning they worshiped a Pantheon of gods and goddesses simultaneously rather than just one almighty God.
how important was religion to society? what did this mean for women?
Unlike today, religion in the ancient world played a crucial role within the functioning of society which meant that everyone had to pull their weight and worship the gods, including women, leading to important roles being granted to them, roles that outweighed anything they would have had otherwise in everyday life.
what important roles did/do women gain through the state religion?
Ancient Rome for example housed the Vestal Virgins, a group of women that had probably the highest status a woman could get within Rome at that time, who spent a large portion of their lives devoted to the gods, specifically Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth. Similarly, in the modern day, we have nuns who, much like the vestal virgins, spend their lives devoted to Catholicism and gain status within the church through that.
do people deviate from the state religion? please briefly explain why.
There were also multiple foreign religions that were commonly practiced throughout Rome as a way to escape the more boring, standardised, state religion and gain some real status that was valued and respected within their community. The same is true within modern society to an extent as more and more people are becoming more fluid in what religion they follow and deviating from the standard Christianity commonly practiced.
has religion changed much over the past few thousands of years?
Although much has changed within religion over the past few thousand years, the fundamental ideas and symbols that religion represented has stayed very much the same, it has remained integral to a large percentage of families globally.
were ancient greek women allowed an active role within religion?
Ordinary women in ancient Greece were allowed an active role within religion as they were believed to be better at serving the gods and ensuring they were kept happy due to their complimentary active role within the household and their family.
what roles did they have?
Some of their roles would include the organisation and carrying out of important festivals such as the Adonia festival that honoured Aphrodite’s mortal consort Adonis who died tragically young in a hunting accident.
what was the hierarchy of religion in greece?
However, religion was still extremely male dominated with very few priestesses or women with high positions of power.
how active was the role of women within ancient rome?
In ancient Rome, ordinary women had a much less active role within religion as it was male dominated.
what examples are there of female run festivals? who did this attract?
There were some examples of festivals and worships run by women such as Bona Dea, most notably a goddess of fertility and anti-slavery among other things, where women would pray at her temple and sacrifice a sow to the goddess. This worship was attracted by plebeians or freedwomen, or merely women in search of fertility and wellness.
what women did have power within rome?
However, the vestal virgins were the highest position of power a woman could aspire to gain in her life and it came with many different perks.
what was their one main goal? what did the flame symbolise?
The Vestal Virgins were 6 women chosen from the noblest families to tend to the sacred flame of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth. This flame was the living symbol of the life in Rome.
what other duties did they have?
They had many duties such as, maintaining their chastity, collecting water from the sacred spring (Vesta would not tolerate water from the city water-supply), preparing food for rituals, looking after objects in the inner sanctuary of the temple, and officiating at the Vestalia, the time of public worship of Vesta.
legally, how powerful were they?
Legally, they were the most empowered women in Rome since they could not be bound by any oath (except the ones they made to their religion), had the right to make wills and to dispose of their own property which shows that women could indeed have an active, important and respected role within society through religion.
were there limitations? what were they?
However, there were also many limitations to their role within Rome. The virgins took on an oath of chastity and the penalty for breaking this was being buried alive
describe this process.
They would be placed in a room with no windows and given a small ration of food as virgins’ blood was forbidden to be spilled and the murder of a virgin was also strictly forbidden under the religions’ guide lines and in order to get around this, they locked her in a room and allowed her to die a ‘natural’ death.
who describes this process? why is he credible?
The room is described by Plutarch in a story he wrote in 75 A.C.E. giving him a first-hand experience of the punishment of a virgin to draw inspiration from.
what does this quote show us?
This describes what the place looked like and describes it as a harrowing, sad room in which one spends their final moments. It describes exactly how they killed these women should they violate their oath and it shows us that although it is not exactly the most grotesque kill, but it is certainly grotesque as they are placing her in an isolated room with small rations and allowing her to starve to death.
what does these punishments show us about the overall status of these women?
Although this was the highest honour a woman could gain, she was still subject to very strict rules that if broken would result in her death showing that even though this was an important role, she was still under the rule of the Pontifex Maximus who had the final say on punishments for the Vestal Virgins.
how long was a virgin appointed for? what happened after?
A virgin was appointed for 30 years, 10 to learn their duties, 10 to carry them out and 10 to instruct others. Once retired, they could marry and live once again in public, but few chose to do so, finding it very difficult to readjust to normal life, perhaps due to the fact that they lived in a special house in the Roman Forum that was secluded from the public and only left are the times of important public ceremonies.
what is the modern equivalent to the vestal virgins? what oath do they make?
In the modern day, religion is not as integral to the functioning of society as it was during Ancient Rome. The modern equivalent to the Vestal Virgins are the Nuns of the Catholic Church. Nuns make a vow of obedience, chastity and poverty to Jesus Christ in a ceremony that imitates a traditional wedding, white dress included.
how long are nuns nuns for?
Unlike the Vestal Virgins, the Nuns make an oath for life rather than 30 years, and they do not have to be a virgin before joining but have to remain celibate for the remainder of their lives.
