Spartan Women

Question 1

What was the treatment of women driven by?

Answer 1

Eugenics.

Question 2

What was unusual about education for girls?

Answer 2

Sparta provided for an education system for its womenfolk. Only Greek state which provided their girls with an education.

Question 3

When might education be with boys?

Answer 3

When taking part in gymnastics, musical and choral competitions.

Question 4

What were the aims of female education?

Answer 4

Same aims as boys education, encouraging physical strength and team spirit.

Question 5

What was unusual about what girls were fed?

Answer 5

It was Spartan law that girls were given the same amount of care and food as their brother. Unusual as usually they were fed less.

Question 6

What education took place and who were they taught by?

Answer 6

Mothers or helot women taught them the basics of reading and writing. Also learnt how to manage estates, which would be one of their key responsibilities in adulthood.

Question 7

During public education what did they do?

Answer 7

Physical education.

Question 8

What was female education designed to promote?

Answer 8

The bearing of healthy children.

Question 9

What was unusual about the women doing exercise?

Answer 9

They exercised naked which was unheard of throughout the Greek world.

Question 10

What was different about marriage for women?

Answer 10

They weren’t rushed into marriage.

Question 11

Why weren’t women rushed into marriage?

Answer 11

To ensue they had reached full physical development and could cope better with pregnancy.

Question 12

What happened during the ceremony?

Answer 12

The bride had her hair cut short and dressed in a man’s cloak and sandals.

Question 13

Why did the woman perhaps dress like this for the man?

Answer 13

To make the love-making more familiar for the groom.

Question 14

What happened after the wedding?

Answer 14

She waited in her grooms house until after dark where her groom would appear after having dinner in his mess.

Question 15

What happened after the couple made love?

Answer 15

He would quickly rush back to his mess where he would sleep.

Question 16

Why didn’t the couple live together in the early years of marriage?

Answer 16

Men were made to appear ashamed if they were caught in the company of their wives.

Question 17

What was the purpose of the couple not seeing each other?

Answer 17

To maintain the attraction between husband and wife.

Question 18

At what age were couples allowed to live together?

Answer 18

30.

Question 19

What was very important?

Answer 19

The desire to maximise the production of healthy children was very important.

Question 20

Why was adultery accepted?

Answer 20

To increase the number of healthy Spartan citizen.

Question 21

What was unusual about Spartan women’s work?

Answer 21

They did not do any house work.

Question 22

What duties did the helots carry out for the women?

Answer 22

Chores such as weaving, cooking or cleaning.

Question 23

Why didn’t women carry out these chores?

Answer 23

It was considered beneath the dignity of a woman who would produce Spartan warriors.

Question 24

What was the far grander economic role of women?

Answer 24

She was the manager of the farming estate allotted to her husband.

Question 25

What economic power did women have?

Answer 25

She had control over the whole estate including helots and took decisions about crops, equipment and the sale of any surplus.

Question 26

What did women have to make sure there was enough of?

Answer 26

Enough food for their family and that her husband provided their monthly ration of food in their syssition.

Question 27

What was unusual about inheritance?

Answer 27

She was allowed to inherit property from her father if she had no brothers, therefore they could become wealthy heiresses.

Question 28

What happened to these wealthy heiresses?

Answer 28

Spartan bachelors were keen to marry these women, so it was left to the King to choose husbands for them.

Question 29

What were women expected to do to their sons?

Answer 29

Give their son to the state at the age of 7 and to drum it into their male relatives that it was glorious for them to die for Sparta.

Question 30

What was it vital for women grow up believing in?

Answer 30

Their society.

Question 31

What did girls performing at public festivals cause?

Answer 31

Girls to grow up developing a fervent loyalty to the state.

Question 32

What didn’t woman have the right to do?

Answer 32

Didn’t have any voting rights but had influence over men.

Question 33

What were women said to say to their sons?

Answer 33

Come back victorious or dead implying that they had too strong beliefs in their society.

Question 34

What were women a source of outside Sparta?

Answer 34

A source of scandal and intrigue.

Question 35

What would other Greek men be disturbed by?

Answer 35

Their freedom and prominence in society.

Question 36

What did Greeks believe?

Answer 36

It was shocking that they socialised and exercised in public, unescorted by male relatives.

Question 37

What else were women criticised for?

Answer 37

Being sexually promiscuous.

Question 38

What were women called and why?

Answer 38

Thigh-flashers as they were shocked to hear that women wore revealing clothes and took part in ceremonies naked.

Question 39

Why were Greeks shocked about how adultery was seen as a virtue?

Answer 39

Athenian men obsessed with protecting their paternity and would shut their wives away from other men.

Question 40

Why was Spartan woman’s appearance considered unattractive?

Answer 40

Their obsession with exercise made them muscular.

Question 41

What else were women criticised for?

Answer 41

Being over-opinionated.

Question 42

How did Aristotle feel towards the women?

Answer 42

He abhorred the freedom given to them, arguing that it was the central flaw in the Spartan system.

Question 43

Why would it be wrong to say that women never received favourable opinion?

Answer 43

Greeks probably admired the healthiness, strength and natural beauty of Spartan women.

Question 44

What did women rely on to attract men?

Answer 44

They didn’t wear jewellery, cosmetics and perfume so they relied on natural beauty.

Question 45

How did Spartan mothers bring up their sons?

Answer 45

• Handed them over to see if they were worthy of being raised.
• Raised boys until they were 7 then sent them off t =o be educated.
• Didn’t pamper the children in any way.
• Boys would be encouraged to do physical activities.
• Let children cry to make them tough.
• Taught them Spartan values.

Question 46

What other things did Spartan women do to help Sparta?

Answer 46

• Produced healthy sons for the army or daughters to breed more sons.
• Ran the household and land while the men were away.
• Supervised the helots and made sure they made the clothes and produced the food.
• Jeered at men if they were cowards, to encourage bravery.

Question 47

Explain what other Greeks thought about Spartan women?

Answer 47

• They were strong and muscular and sun tanned because they did exercise and went outside.
• Seen as outspoken or bold because they criticised their husbands.
• Sexual as they flashed their thighs while other women were conservative.
• Got involved in horse training.
• Unfeminine as they did not weave clothes.
• Possessed too much freedom as they did not live in women’s quarters like other Greek women.
• Bad mothers as they sent their sons away.
• Promiscuous as they slept with different men.

Question 48

Describe the appearance of a Spartan woman?

Answer 48

• Well developed muscles.
• She would have tanned skin.
• Spartan woman wore no makeup or jewellery.
• Worn short dresses.
• Bare feet.