THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN ANCIENT GREECE

COURTNEY SCHWARTZTHE ROLE OF WOMEN IN ANCIENT GREECE

Featured music: Delphic Hymn to Apollo , 138 BCE (played by Petros Tabouris Ensemble)

Girls and Young Women Given a wreath of wool at birth (boys received olive branch wreath)In Greek society, it was considered an embarrassment to have a daughterWere not allowed to attend schoolLearned important skills from their mothers (i.e. Weaving, cooking, field managing)In Sparta, girls were trained in dance and athleticsDuring free time, young girls played with toys and games including knucklebones, tops, dolls, balls, ring tosses, and rocking horses

MarriageMarriage was monogamous, but men were allowed to have affairsOn average, women married at sixteen to men in their thirtiesAccepted for men to marry nieces and half sisters in order to keep wealth within the familyWeddings: an enguesis marriage was arranged by the male guardian, called the kurios. Women who didnt have a kurios were epikleros and married a close relative in an epidikasia marriage.Women received a dowry, which was managed by their kurios.Most Athenian weddings occurred in the winter month GamelionWeddings lasted for several days and consisted of a feast with childhood sacrifices to Artemis at the brides home, sacred bathing, betrothal between groom and brides father, unveiling of bride, ceremony, journey home, and the party at the grooms home

Expectations of WomenNot permitted to engage in activity outside of their homes that involved menMen and women had separate quarters in the homeWomen were only allowed outside of the house if they were given permission by their husbands or if their husbands held a high position in the government and/or societyThe main roles of women were child-bearing and domestic dutiesDeath rate of women in childbirth was comparable with war casualtiesWomen were not allowed to attend the Olympics; they threw a similar, small-scale event in honor of Hera

Womens RightsCould not become citizens, therefore they were unable to participate in the democracy (in Athens)Property ownership was limited to Spartan women, for the most part

Women were not allowed to sueHad a fairly significant role in religion; women were able to be low priestesses The job of the oracle was always occupied by a womanHusbands were able to divorce their wives, but the reverse did not applyWomens FashionHimation: a rectangle of wool that was originally worn as a cloak, but became more elaborate with draping and usagePeplos: a long, woolen garment that was fastened on the shoulders with a brooch, but had large armholes. The peplos was cinched at the waist and braided on the hemline. Popular patterns included checks, flowers, stripes, and wavy lines. Chiton: introduced during the Persian Wars. The design was based on the peplos but it was much wider and was made of linen. The two types of chitons were the Doric and Ionic chitons. Doric chitons had a longer overfold and lower waistline than Ionic chitonsSandals, slippers, soft shoes, and leather ankle boots were wornHair was styled with waxes and lotions in braids on top of the head or worn long and was held back with cecryphalaes, or headbands

CHITONPEPLOSCHITON

SHOES

HAIRSTYLESFemale SlavesAs a means to increase wealth, young girls from poor families were sometimes sold into slaveryFemale slaves were often raped and physically abused by their male mastersIf the sexual exploitation resulted in pregnancy, after the woman gave birth, she was forced to give up her child because slaves werent allowed to bear childrenAdditionally, slaves werent allowed to marryElite women usually had a close relationship with their female slaves due to constant interaction. In fact, the women of the house confided in their slaves more so than they did to anyone else

Lifestyles of Affluent and Poor WomenDid not have jobsSometimes owned a small amount of propertyLived in separate quarters of their housesUsually pale because they rarely went outsideIn charge of slaves and servantsStayed at home most of the timeSometimes needed to work in order to improve their lifestyleCould not afford to live in separate quarters of the homeNoticeable difference from aristocratic women due to darker coloration of skinOften worked as slaves and servantsWent to the market alone, which was looked down upon in societyAffluent WomenPoor Women

Works Citedhttp://ancienthistory.about.com/od/women1/p/GreekMarriage.htmhttp://www.richeast.org/htwm/greeks/marriage/marriage.htmlhttp://www.richeast.org/htwm/greeks/costume/costume.htmlhttp://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Clothing/http://s4.hubimg.com/u/825339_f520.jpghttp://webpage.pace.edu/nreagin/F2004WS267/AnnaCho/finalHISTORY.htmlhttp://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/daily_life.htmhttp://www.historylink102.com/greece3/men-women-roles.htmhttp://www.historylink102.com/greece3/index.htmhttp://www.crystalinks.com/greekslavery.html http://www.fjkluth.com/polit.html

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Delphic Hymn to Apollo (138 B.C.) [Syrinx]Petros Tabouris EnsemblePetros Tabouris EnsembleAncient Greek Musical Instruments - Music of Ancient GreeceWorld2003-01-01T00:00:00Zhschwartzlaw@aol.com 2003 Musical Ark2013-06-03 21:03:27IODA:isrc:GRHR103339132:256