The ancient Greek world did not have a single, unified culture but rather a collection of different ones within the various poleis or ‘city states’. Two poleis whose cultures greatly varied were Athens and Sparta and this is reflected by the lives of women in these cultures who were influenced by them in different ways. As a result of this, there are many ways in which Spartan women were different from their Athenian counterparts. The main differences between Spartan and Athenian women stem from the fact that Athens was largely more conservative which, in turn, led to women playing a more traditional role. The type of education that Spartan women received made them different to their Athenian counterparts. Cartledge discusses this, explaining that “Spartan girls undoubtedly were educated in a sense other than …show more content…
Namely, through receiving a different amount and type of education which gave them different skills, marrying at an older age which would have given them different responsibilities, having the ability to inherit and own property, having more of an influence politically, being more free socially and women of lower classes in particular having different tasks to carry out. So, in summary, it can be seen that Spartan women played more of an active role in society, had more freedom and were better respected than their Athenian counterparts. A notable issue with primary evidence surrounding this topic is that it was written by men, so it is impossible to gain qualitative information about how women felt about their position in the society. An issue with Greek Tragedy in particular is highlighted by Gould, who states that plays are “the product of a man’s imagination and addressed to men”. As a result of this, the information we do have is written by men so cannot be an accurate depiction of the lives of either Spartan women or their Athenian
Athens vs. Sparta DBQ Athens and Sparta were two of the world's greatest ancient civilizations. Though they were both city-states in Greece they had their differences. Some of the largest contrasts were education, government, and the roles girls and women played in their societies. In Sparta the schools for children were very harsh and military based.
Zareef Peeroo Tim Bailey October 15, 2014 Athenians vs. Spartans The differences between government, the role of women, and the education status of Athens and Sparta led to similar yet very different societies residing in the same area; therefor I will deconstruct these issues using an analytical comparative framework. In, Athens and Sparta, it shows all the differences between the Athenians and the Spartans. Although the two City States shared a common heritage, their differences grew so large in their own minds that they were ultimately willing to engage in a life-and-death struggle to support their separate realities (Spielvogel).
The chapter, “Women and the City of Athens”, matters because it shows that women are still facing the same inequality as seen thousands of years ago in ancient
Her response here shows that Spartan women were brought up to be tough like their male counterparts. Spartan women had more freedoms than the Athenians. For example, unlike the “housebound life of the Athenian matron” , Spartan women were able to go out in public and even interact with other men. Despite both being Greek, women had very different roles to play in their societies. These differences
The book “Spartan Women” by Sarah B. Pomeroy seeks to reconstruct the lives and the world of the Sparta's women; including how their legal status changed over time and how the women held on to their amazing autonomy. Susan B. Pomeroy generally analyzes ancient texts and to construct the world of most noticed females. Sarah B. Pomeroy is a Classist author in the twenty-first century. Throughout this paper, what will be discussed is: the author credentials, the book’s main aim, the book’s evidence, and the author writing style of the book. Spartan Women would be a powerful credible source to learn the life the Spartan women endured during their time.
Evidence in document D states, “ Spartan women were expected to protect the city from attacks when the men were not home, for this reason, they were also trained to fight in battle.” The quote supports the contrast between Athens and Sparta by explaining what the Spartan women do. Sparta and Athens have different thoughts on many things, including women's rights and the
Sparta was the first civilization to treat women fairly. For example, in the book The Politics of Aristotle, Aristotle wrote, “For, a husband and wife being each a part of every family, the state may be considered as about equally divided into men and women” (Doc. D). This explains how Sparta was the first civilization to treat women fairly because gender does not play a part in how many rights and freedom one has. Sparta allowed women to get physical training, just like men. As well, while Spartan men were off at war, they had full charge over their household.
Women were thought of as dependents of the father or husband. Women lived in gynaeceum: women’s quarters where they could oversee the running of the home and have very little contact with the male world (O’Pry, 2012). Spartan women, on the other hand, seem to have a bit more freedom and were able to own property. Sparta allowed for women to get educated in the same manner as the males. Sparta had a laid back culture and men were to serve in their military.
Sparta’s women were known for their promiscuity and boldness . On account of Sparta’s strict militaristic lifestyle, their lives were very different compared to regular women in most city-states of Greece. Although their main job is still child-bearing, this job held much more honor and respect because in theory, a Spartan women gave birth to strong, Spartan boys who would in turn become strong and successful soldiers for Sparta’s renowned military . Just as boys were trained to become soldiers from a young age, girls were taught to be the mothers a militant Sparta
The Spartan women were able to own plots of land and run their own households, they even got an education. At Athens, got a little amount of formal education and had less
The instruments used to explain the women’s political and social position and the unique linguistic choices made by Aristophanes will be the feminist theory and the social factors that influence a language. Summary of the plot The Peloponnesian war (431 b.C. – 408 b.C), fought between the two main Greek cities of Athens and Sparta, appears endless to the eyes of the Greek citizens. Especially women are suffering from this exhausting conflict, since their husbands are permanently on the battlefield.
Because of this separation, Spartan women had greater freedom to move around more. Permitted to own and inherit land, Spartan women had more power in the household than what was common for women elsewhere in Greece, and they could even supervise large estates. They were encouraged to exercise and remain fit to bear and raise healthy children. Like the man, Spartan women engaged in athletic exercises in the nude.
Throughout history, women have been second fiddle to men. Females have been degraded, disrespected, and undermined; they’ve been ignored, silenced, and gone unheard. This gender inequality is present even in The Odyssey, though it includes many important female figures. Penelope, Calypso, Circe, and more are all crucial to the plot, and some even responsible for the happy ending, yet when inspected closely female stereotypes emerge. The majority of the women are presented as seductresses, the others as mothers, and almost all as fragile and dependent on men.
In the Greece civilization, ladies were not given a position, they were thought to be not as much as slaves. Rome’s general public was separated into
Over generations, the role of women in society has shifted and changed immensely, improving upon many aspects of rights and values that women have. The changes occurred gave women opportunities to provide ideas, to have the same rights as men, giving women freedom, leading to many contributions of many significant and valuable events. But from current roles of women being equal to those of men, how women stood in ancient society significantly differs and contrast with ours today. Throughout history, the role and significance of women were always outweighed by the dominance and influence of men. The role of women in ancient times varied throughout, depending on the place and area in the world, in which women had different roles and impacts on their own society.