Young Women (Greece) Flashcards
How were women treated from birth in Athens?
- controlled by the Kyrios from birth
- decides if baby is kept or left to die to exposure
- baby girls were more likely to be exposed (greater financial strain on family- they did not work)
- poorer Athenian families exposed girls
- chaperones/ handmaids to be witnesses to evey action
How were women educated in Athens?
- educated at home by mother
- learns practical domestic skills to be a good kyria
- weaving, spinning wool, cookery, managing the household finances and slaves
- was not the norm to teach reading and writing
- men viewed literate women as dangerous
- lower class girls take active role in family business had more extensive training in finances and record keeping
How would an Athenian girl be betrothed?
- married into other family
- kyrios pays dowry to her husband’s family
- married at the start of puberty
- husband decides husband, usually a friend or business associate
How would a dowry work?
- 5-20% of kyrios’ total weath
- larger dowry = more powerful potential husbands
- protected wife from being divorced, needed to be paid back if divorced
- encouraged men to not mistreat their wives
- conpensates the inevitable expense from wife during their time together
What event is depicted on the lekythos that was attributed to the Amasis painter?
- groom diving cart to his house
- dragging away bride from mother
- symbolises officially leaving childhood behind and becoming a part of groom’s household
What would the first day of an Athenian wedding be like?
- bride joined by female realtives and friends
- have a feast
- make sacrifices to Artemis for thanking protection during childhood
- pray for continued protection in womanhood
- offer childhood toys + lock of hair
- may have made offerings to Hera (goddess of marriage) + Aphrodite
What would the second day of an Athenian wedding be like (up to the torchlight procession
- ritual bath for the bride = purifies her + enhance fertility
- dressed in finest jewellry + clothes + veil - symbolises modesty
- kyrios would hold wedding + feast in home for both families + close friends
- fine food, plenty of wine, music, entertainment
- torchlight procession would begin
What happens during the torchlight procession in the second day of an Athenian wedding?
- groom drags bride from mother
- puts her in a cart
- takes her to his house
- symbolises officially leaving behind childhood + being a member of the groom’s household
- torches lit to ward off evil spirits
- men would sing wedding songs with musicians
- women would throw fruit + flowers - symbolises fertility
What happens after the torchlight procession in the second day of an Athenian wedding?
- wooden axle of processional cart was burned
- symbolises no returning back to old household
- couple goes back to bedroom decorated with flowers, spend night together
- friends stand guard outside, sing songs and banging on the door
- prevents evil spirits from cursing marraige
- offers moral support for bride
What happens during the third day of an Athenian wedding?
- bride’s female attendants + some male guests would still be outside of room
- celebrants sing wedding songs
- bride gets gift from new family
- gifts could include clothing, perfumes, jewellery + cosmetic tools
How were women treated from birth in Sparta?
- decision of exposing baby = discussed by spartan elders
- no preference of gender
- health of baby is most important (no deformities/ weakness)
- suggests women’s contributions were valued in Sparta
How were girls educated in Sparta?
- physical training just like boys to withstand child bearing
- rejected traditional greek views of women
- encourgage physical excellence from women + men
Who was the first women to win the ancient Olympic games?
- Cynisca - a Spartan woman
- any freeborn male Greek could participate
- entered as trainer of horses, her horses won
- Spartans valued physical prowress in women
held every 4 years
How were girls in Sparta bethrothed?
- boys and girls had ample opportunities to interact
- exercise in full view of each other
- girls encouraged to heckle boys
- praise ones that did well in training
- insult lazy/ inept boys
- highly unlikely that brides were strangers to their grooms
- unclear how marriages are arranged -> parents probably had some say in it
- married in late teens - early 20s
- believed that girls in physical prime would produce stronger children + more likely to survive childbirth
How were girls in Sparta married?
- hair cut short like a man’s + wear man’s clothes + sandals
- lie waiting on floor of husband’s bedroom
- groom had dinner as usual in syssition (barracks mess hall) + gone to bed as usual
- during night would sneak out to bride’s house
- carry her to bed and consummate marraige (intercourse)
- return to barracks to sleep with comrades
- continued into married life
man retires from army, aged 30+ would move in with wife + children
What are the possible interpretations for the methods of marraige by the spartans?
- sneaking around is more exiciting = energetic sex = healthier offspring
OR - Spartan man’s duty was to the state, not to his wife
Describe the spartan woman statuette
- dynamic pose, shows motion
- striding forward
- Athenian women = sedentary
- suggests greater phsyical freedom
- not covered, shows muscular body
- Athenian statues of women never directly engage gaze of viewer, Spartan statue has woman looking straight ahead
quote from Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus about women
“with this greater vigour, might be the more able to undergo the pains of child-bearing”
