Download
1 / 6
80 likes | 334 Vues
Spartan Women. Spartan vs Athenian Women: Differences. Spartan women spent much time outdoors and exercised nude in public, like men Spartan women were spirited and it was a virtue for a woman to be witty and hold her own in public
E N D
Spartan vs Athenian Women: Differences • Spartan women spent much time outdoors and exercised nude in public, like men • Spartan women were spirited and it was a virtue for a woman to be witty and hold her own in public • Spartan women under certain circumstances might be allowed to sleep with other men except their husbands for the birth of children • Athenian women were never seen naked in public, and should not be seen in public unaccompanied; they did not go to the gym. • Athenian women were not meant to be conversing with strange men, and meekness was seen as a virtue • In Athens adultery was one of the most serious crimes, and the law ordered mandatory divorce for a woman who slept with anyone except her husband.
Athenian and Spartan Women: Common points • They were citizens, and could give birth to citizens, but did not join the army, did not vote, and did not run for office, except for priesthoods and other religious offices. • They were expected to get married and run a household, when their husband would be focusing on outdoor duties • They were expected to comply with contemporary standards of respectability (even though this meant different things from city to city). • Outdoor work was not desirable for either Athenian or Spartan women, but while Spartan women did not work outdoors, Athenian women compelled by poverty and necessity frequently worked outside the house.
A high birthrate? • Sparta actively tried to encourage a higher birth-rate and allowed women to have children with men other than their husbands, if necessary, and also encouraged the physical sexuality of its women, as this would be conducive to more children. Women’s physical exercise was also viewed as a necessary component for the birth of stronger, healthier children. • However, these attempts of the state were sabotaged by the archaic economic system of Sparta which effectively discouraged larger families.
Property ownership • The rhetra of Epitadeus (5th c.) made it possible for fathers to leave their property to their daughters through a will. • As a result, much of the land was owned by women a hundred years later, thus reducing the number of men landowners, and consequently the number of full Spartan citizens (as landownership was tied to full citizenship). • The unusal freedom of Spartan women with property matters, as well as the cultivation of an athletic physique and visible sexuality intrigued and often scandalized the rest of the Greeks.
Exceptional Spartan women • Gorgo: the sharp-minded queen of Leonidas, to whom several witticisms were attributed. • Cynisca: the sister of king Agesilaos. She was wealthy in her own right, and the first woman to win the Olympic games. • Euryleonis, also a wealthy woman,and possibly a princess was able to win the Olympic Games some time after Cynisca.
