men + women in ancient greece Flashcards
sappho + plato
What would the men be the head of?
Oikos (household)
How would the men help keep Greeks secure?
Giving his opinion in assembly + serving as a soldier
What is an example of an ideal Greek male?
Achilles - ‘speaker of words, doer of deeds’
What were women expected to be?
Fertile
What werent women allowed to do?
Barely allowed to go outside
Where were the womens quarters?
Top/back of the house; make it harder to break in
What do Athenian vases show of women?
Show them at the stages of a man’s life: birth, marriage, war + mourning death
When could real women only leave the house?
Religious festivals
What would the father of the bride say?
“I give you this woman for the ploughing of legitimate children”
What ideal woman does the Odyssey show?
Penelope - faithful wife; gave birth to male heir; controlled the majority of her slaves + wove
What does the grave stele show?
Hegeso, beautiful; richly dressed
Choosing from hr jewellery box offered by a slave girl
What was thought about the beauty of women?
The beauty of women was important but tricky
Helen + Pandora were beautiful
Desired + feared trait
What was thought about sexuality of women?
Powerful; increased anxiety men had that women were weak minded + too sexual
What does King say about Athenian women?
“The Greek word for woman (gyne) is the same for wife”
What is shown in Lysistrata?
Women of Athens + Sparta struggle not to have sex to stop the war
What was domestic life like for a man?
Power in the oikos
Divorce wasn’t hard; surrender dowry + choose if he was to keep his kids
What was marriage like for an Athenian woman?
Divorce: needed father/guardian to take her back + provide again
What did women do in the Oikos?
Watched by the husband; controlling income, organising slaves, working wool + raising children
What were women legal property of?
A man: husband, father, brother
What was expected of women in terms of heirs?
Produce male heir despite health risks from repeated pregnancies
Unwanted babies (girls) may’ve been exposed/killed
What was thought about intercourse for women?
Suggests couples should have sex 3x/month to stop woman’s womb travelling around her body
If a womb wandered too long, it reaches her brain + drives her mad
Who was Pericles?
Athenian general + politician
What was a pederastic relationship?
A boy in late teens begins sexual experience w a man in gymnasium
Older man (erastes) plays sig role in boy’s (eromanos) upbringing
What happened w Alcibiades + his wife?
She tried to divorce him bc of his relationships w prostitutes; she was picked up by the court + carried home
What was women’s freedom in the house like?
An intruder would have to go through the man’s quarter (ground flour) to get to the woman (at the back)
Adultery?
Legal obligation for a man to divorce his wife if she committed adultery (sometimes including rape)
If he didn’t he’d be deprived of his citizen rights
Who points out that the Greek word for woman is the same as for wife?
King
