Essay On Spartan Women

This investigation will answer the question “What were the differences and similarities of the roles of women in Athens and Sparta?” This question is relevant due to the fact that the role of women and how they were treated back then are very different than today and we’ve come a long way since then in terms of women’s rights. It’s also important to see the drastic differences between the roles of women from one Greek city to another. The issues that will be addressed are their treatment and roles within societies and how they differ from the Greek towns Athens and Sparta. The places investigated will include Athens and Sparta. This will be accomplished through an examination of books, websites, and academic journals.

Women have played important roles throughout history. They have been responsible for the rise and fall of nations, sustaining families, and have been the focal point of worship in ancient religions. Moving forward in history, women's roles have continually changed. Their status as matriarchs changed as the more advanced ancient civilizations rose. The patriarchal societies of ancient Greece and Rome viewed women differently from some societies of past eras. The study of the economic and political status of women, their rights, and their contributions to both these ancient societies reveals how views change throughout history.

The women of Sparta enjoyed more freedom than women from many of the other Greek city-states such as Athens. Ancient Women’s historian Sarah Pomeroy writes in her book Spartan Women, “We know little about Spartan women, but it is not so readily conceded that we do not actually know much about Spartan men either.” What we do know is that Spartan women were known for their natural beauty, and also that they were forbidden from wearing any kind of makeup or enhancements. Spartan women were provided education most, unlike most other city-states. They were not able to have careers or make money. All of their money was provided to them by their family or the government. A proper Greek woman would not usually set foot outdoors, other than to perhaps

I can say it dos surprise me in how women’s opportunities in Sparta women were traded better and women were more value in one way with more freedom, right, and education even Spartan women were known to do sports. We can see Spartan were know to be a strong culture with warrior husband that protect and fight for them self’s, and women mother, and wife for these incredible warriors. I can say Athenian democracy were very hard with their people including with their women’s, by taking their wife their freedom, and educations. I do believed Spartan culture were better than Athenian democracy, in both cultures men were the ones who dominate and control, but just Athenian democracy had this roles of controlling women, and Spartan women had more freedom.

If you built a time machine and I had to choose between being sent to Sparta and the Salian Franks, it would be a tough call, but in the end I would have to choose to live in Sparta. There are many reasons behind that choice, but most of them tie back to me being a female and how each society treated their women, both Spartan and Salian cultures treated women better then Roman society that being said Spartan culture, according to Xenophon women were treated very similarly to the men in many ways.

Respectable Athenian women seldom left their homes. Only men could purchase goods or engage in soldiering, lawmaking, and public speaking. The societies of ancient Egypt and of the Greek city-state of Sparta provided a rare contrast. Both Egyptian and Spartan women could own property and engage in business. According to Dr. Peter Picone, the author of “The Status of Women in Ancient Egyptian” states “the Egyptian women seem to have enjoyed the same legal and economic rights as the Egyptian man”. Also he states that legal rights were on a class boundary more than a gender boundary. The Women of Sparta on the other hand were quite different from the women of their neighbor, Athens. As you well know, the women of Sparta were bold, freer, and well educated. Also with the Sparta women, everything depended up money, which would determine your rank in society. While some of the Spartan citizens have quite small properties, others have very large ones; hence the land has passed into the hands of a few. And this is due also to faulty laws; for, although the legislator rightly holds up to shame the sale or purchase of an inheritance, he allows anybody who likes to give or bequeath it. Yet both practices lead to the same result. And nearly women held two-fifths of the whole countries; this is owing to the number of heiresses and to the large dowries that are customary. The Women of Sparta on the other hand were quite

Women took on a degree of authority that other Greek women did not posses or want, according to their own upbringing. In so far as the desire for “communal property and the amelioration of women’s lot” was concerned, the situation of women in Sparta was perfect for supporting the system in place (Foley 66). In so far as the culture was desirous of a nurturing or artistic element where the arts could flourish and political discourse and philosophical schools could abound, Sparta was not a particularly working or functioning city-state—at least, not on par with a city-state like Athens which was much renowned for its artistic cultivation and schools of philosophy and

Athenian society was very dynamic in many areas while it was strict in regard to the treatment of women. Although Athenian women were protected by the state and did not know a different way of living, they were very stifled and restricted. The only exception was slaves, and heteria, prostitutes, and this was due to the fact that they had no male guardians. Since these women were on there own they had to take care of themselves, and therefore were independent. In a more recent and modern way of viewing the role of a woman, independence and freedom to do as one likes is one of the most important aspects of living. In Athens the wives had none of this freedom and the prostitutes did. Who then really had a “better”

This investigation will attempt to answer the question what are the similarities and differences of the role of women in Athens and Sparta. The question is relevant because women’s roles have developed over time and knowing women’s history helps women’s rights to keep moving forward. The issues that will be addressed are the religious, job roles and the expectations of women in their society. Women of wealth and women of lower classes will be included. This investigation will focus on the time period of 600 BC to 300 BC and the places investigated will include Athens and Sparta. This will be accomplished through a thorough examination of academic journals, books and websites.

Even being from the same time frame in history, the Roman women from Sparta and the Greek women from Athens were completely different. Their ideas, habits, and daily activities were majorly impacted by the community they lived in. Some of the main differences between the lifestyles of these women include the rights they were given under the government, the daily and professional attire of the women, and the marital and divorce rituals of each of the women. Though they had many different things about them, they also had some similarities that connected them together. Both the Athens and Sparta have two completely different statuses for their women in the society, in many different aspects as well.

On a warm sunny day in 672 BC a group of young boys stood on top of a hill eagerly waiting for their first lesson in combat. Just down the hill, in a small public school, were many girls sitting patiently to learn what it takes to be a strong women. This scenario is very unusual to most places in the (date) yet very common to the ancient Spartans. Sparta is known for their intense military and for being one of the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece. Sparta had a much different outlook on men and women than any other city-state in Greece.

But in the Spartan society, the woman had a dignified position just because they were the mother of the famous Sparta worriers. The Athenian women were also not allowed for education or to educate themselves. Men were the only ones allowed in the schools. They also wore clothing that completely covered their bodies and was not able to walk where they

In no other city-state did women enjoy the same freedom and status as Spartan women. As a military-driven society, the Spartans realized that “regardless of gender all Spartiates had an obligation to serve the militaristic end of Sparta.” With this focus in mind, women were allowed more freedom, rights, and independence. Spartan women were

On the contrary to life of women in Athens, the women of Sparta had considerable freedom. They were allowed to leave their houses when ever they pleased. They were required per the state policy to have education both from physical and educational perspective. The reason for physical education was because they could make and nourish babies that would be healthy for the children to be capable of being good warriors and if the baby was not fit as they would be judged by the elders, as mentioned before they would be left to die outside the city.

Women’s role in Greece can be seen when one first begins to do research on the subject. The subject of women in Greece is coupled with the subject of slaves. This is the earliest classification of women in Greek society. Although women were treated differently from city to city the basic premise of that treatment never changed. Women were only useful for establishing a bloodline that could carry on the family name and give the proper last rites to the husband. However, women did form life long bonds with their husbands and found love in arranged marriages. Women in Athenian Society Women are “defined as near slaves, or as perpetual minors” in Athenian society (The Greek World, pg. 200). For women life didn’t