The cities of Athens and Sparta were both advanced for their time, but differed in their idea of appropriate women’s roles. While Spartan women were relatively important to the social and political spheres, women in Athens were considered nothing more than breeding machines to produce men for the society’s powerful army. Aside from the fact that both groups of women were married for the sole purpose of bearing children, there are hardly any similarities between the treatment of women in Sparta and Athens.…
When in Sparta, an elderly couple lived together, the women were permitted not to listen to the husband and to give the husband orders. Most women were never living with a husband when they became old, because the husband mainly died in over the 35-some years in battle. Sparta was falling behind in population from Athens, athens rolled around a population base of about 140,000. But Sparta was was only at 100,000 by the 5th century. When an Spartan baby is born, the male was tested for any weaknesses, if any weakness was identified, the baby would be set on the outskirts of the city and left to die. Athenian women were treated as well as slaves, meanwhile Spartan women were the only ones who were given equal rights as the men. But men were actually given less rights with only being able to live free until seven, then only to go home if they survived until age 65. Not many men survived until age 65 and were able to retire from the…
In Athens, life revolved around men. The women were just wives, meant to bare children and tend to home issues (137). Women could not vote or take part in government in either society, but women could own and inherit property in Sparta (122). Overall women had the same responsibilities and household duties in both cultures, but they were permitted more rights in Sparta. In Sparta, men were taken away from home at a very young age and put into government custody, where they would be placed in barracks and trained for the military with very harsh disciplinary acts (122). At the age of 20, they were enlisted into the military, and could marry, but remained living in the barracks until they turned 30. Family was the main focus in Athens, and women were expected to have many children, especially…
Both nationalities had no courting period, and women had little, if any, say as to who they would marry. In Athens, girls were married off at quite an early age, usually at thirteen or fourteen; their husbands were chosen by their fathers, which gave the family the opportunity to join another family, ideally one that was quite prominent in society. The marriage process was very long. Spartan marriage, on the other hand, is quite different; it was an, almost, non-ceremonial event. The female would be abducted in the middle of the night by her future husband, then her head would be shaved and she had to wear men's attire. She would then, finally, meet her husband, mainly for child conception. Any Spartan man could choose a wife in this manner and this led to many wives to a husband and also many husbands to a wife. Both societies main reason for marriage was for procreation. Athenian women would have to take care of their children themselves, usually, while Spartan women wouldn't have to do much as they would, in most cases, have a nurse take care of the child. Sexuality was approached differently in both societies, too – Athenian medical theorists at the time considered women as, psychologically, shameless and uncontrollable; it was the…
In Sparta, women were well respected and had multiple roles within society. They were given more freedom than in most other Greek societies. The main reason for this was the fact that Sparta had a warrior culture and the men were away either at war or training for war. while the men were away the women had multiple roles. The most important of which was to give birth to healthy Spartan children to become warriors. Some of the other roles women had included; participating in religious festivals, and managing the kleros.…
throughout history women have faced many challenges such as fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men and not being able to own property.Women were long considered weaker than men.Even in times like these some women were given a little more freedom than others. For example in class we learned that spartan women were more dominant in society compared to other women in Greece. Knowing this information it made me think how life was like for spartan women? What they did in their spare time? Since the men spent most of their time in the military I predict that the life of a spartan women will consist of caring for the children as well as providing food for the family.…
Women in classical Athens, according to many of the accounts of women's position in the Greek city-state, lived a life of domestic slavery. Men controlled politics and societal influence in the public setting, so the lives of women were no different from foreigners or slaves who also had no civil rights. The lives of women in classical Athens greatly contrasts the lives of women in America today; however both share similar family obligations. While the obvious differences are that women didn't hold political office, didn't own property, and women didn't work outside the home, similar to women in America today, women were the primary caretakers of the home.…
In Ancient Greece, the two most essential cities were Sparta and Athens. The two cities had a diversity of cultures, lifestyle, and values, even though they lived in the same region. Sparta was established around 900 BCE. It is located in the Eurotoas valley of Laconia, southeast of Peloponnese (Sparta, Ancient History Encyclopedia). Ancient Sparta has a population of about 100,000 citizens. Spartans dedicate approximately all their time to military training, hunting, war tactics, and even war policies. These activities are what makes Sparta admire war and what makes other cities fear them. Athens has been around for about 3,000 years. Athens is the capital of Greece and it is also the largest city. It is also the intellectual center of Greece. Athens originated from as early as 5000 BCE. Athens began as a small, Mycenaean community and grew to become a city (Athens, Ancient History Encyclopedia). The Athenian King, who ruled the land, sought to name the city after a Greek God because he wanted the name to be divine. Athena was selected, hence, the name Athens. Athens was a city that exemplifies ancient Greece. Society, politics, and economy are what make cities diverse, but they can have a…
“Men are free to roam outside, but the women must stay inside.” (Unknown Athenian), this was true for most of human history, and Ancient Athens was no different. However in Ancient Sparta it was much different from the rest of Greece, and for that matter a majority of civilizations. Usually when people think of Athens they think of the Golden Age of Athens (480-322 B.C.) and think that men and women are prospering throughout Attica and it was more like the Roaring 20s of the 20th Century. And when people think of Sparta they see a society hell bent of taking over Athens and crush anyone who stands in their way. In either case nobody really takes much time to ask what were the women doing during this time period…
According to many historians such as Powell “The citizen women of Sparta were believed to lead unusual lives by Greek standards.” As stated by Lycurgus in the Great Rhetra women of Sparta were aware of their role in society in regards to staying healthy and fit to produce healthy offspring as well as partaking in the running of the economy. Women in Sparta were treated with the utmost respect, as they were an essential element in the ancient warrior society. Spartan women enjoyed much more freedom then women from the other polis (Greek city states). Spartan women were given great privileges as they involved their prominent positions in society in regards to education, family, religion and the economy, which soon became desired by women all…
Each of the sources suggests certain aspects about the roles that women played in Ancient Greek society. Three things it suggests about women are that not all women were of the same social status, women were generally used as slaves or laborers, but were still a vital part to Grecian society.…
By the middle of the 5th century B.C. Athens and Sparta, the two most powerful Greek city-states, found themselves on the brink of a full-scale war. According to Thucydides, at the beginning of the war both Athens and Sparta were at the pick of their might and flourishing and could trade and cooperate to each other’s benefit; instead, they got involved into an armed confrontation, in which the rest of the Greek cities participated, on one side or on the other.…
Women of that time in other cultures were treated like their father’s/husband’s property. That was the case all around the world, from China to Medieval Europe, to Rome. Women had no rights other than to maintain the house hold and bear children. Greece was a sight exception in this regard. Women who held higher positions in the society had quite independent lives, along with sixth century Spartan women; however, Athenian women did not share the same liberties as their neighbors. Athenian women rarely left their homes, but when they did, it was for religious purposes or festivals. Aristotle best summed up the role of Athenian women with a quote which basically says the woman in meant to bear children and maintain a home. Women were not completely…
The common view in ancient societies was often that this was a world of men; that women were inferior. There is often debate on the role of women in society, but in reality, women play an important role in any type of society, whether it be good or bad. Women in ancient Greece, China, and the Roman Empire were able to exercise influence into their culture despite the discrimination toward them. Although each society was different, women shared similar influences in their power, and restrictions in the aspect of marriage. Although most of these ancient cultures viewed women similarly, of these three locations, the women in the Roman Empire had it best.…
The societal status of women was ever evolving in the ancient societies. In the Athens, nearly all the women were married. However, they rarely spent time with their husbands. Instead, their husbands would go to hired foreign women entertainers. These women were much more respected than the legitimate women citizens. In the Roman Empire, women had the right to divorce her husband. Upon his death, she would inherit his property, and could live her life as she pleased. In the Minoans civilization, the women were freer when it came to marriage, and it was not necessary required of…