Spartan Women

Social Responsibilities

Domestic Roles

While not solely confined to the domestic sphere, Spartan women still held crucial responsibilities within their households. Managing large estates, especially for elite women, required financial acumen and the ability to oversee agricultural production, household staff, and property maintenance. Helots took care of day-to-day tasks like cooking, washing, weaving, and other household chores, freeing Spartan women to handle more important issues. The state encouraged their activity in domains such as agriculture, business, and estate maintenance since the men were often at the barracks or on campaigns.

They were also responsible for educating young girls and instilling Spartan values, perpetuating traditions across generations. They’d guide their daughters in their learning of the arts, dance, music, and poetry, helping them imbibe essential values. In Spartan society, the concept of female domesticity differed from that of other Greek city-states. Spartan women's contributions were crucial for the smooth functioning of society, and their competence and diligence were highly valued. Unlike other Greek city-states, the duties of a woman were considered just as essential, and the act of birthing strong Spartan children was considered as essential as a man’s role in the military. Since Spartan women ran the household largely alone, they had the final say in domestic matters and would govern the associated businesses and estates at their discretion without any interference. This was especially true of the elite women in Sparta, who often ran wealthy businesses and owned a considerable number of properties.

Spartan Matriarchs

As mothers of Spartan warriors, women held a unique position of power and respect. They enforced strict social codes within their homes as well as in broader Spartan society. Mothers who raised brave and successful warriors enjoyed immense societal acclaim, while those whose sons displayed cowardice faced public reproach. Often, the admonishment and ostracism faced by soldiers deemed cowardly would be enforced by their mothers themselves. This power dynamic, intertwined with their economic independence and influence within the household, placed them in a position of matriarchal authority.

Since most of the male populace was away, Spartan women grew to become able administrators of their businesses and households, often handling finances and the day-to-day activities of their estates. Even the non-elite strata of Sparta’s female population held their share of land and were tasked with cultivating it and contributing to the Spartan economy.

While Spartan women didn’t participate in the government or its decision-making practices, they held considerable sway in society primarily due to their tough and rigorous upbringing, which encouraged parity with their male counterparts. Their independent management of family businesses made them further autonomous. Spartan law also allowed for female inheritance of property, which was unknown in the rest of the Greek city-states. It was this matriarchal demeanor of Spartan women that prompted even Aristotle to criticize Sparta and the way it functioned, essentially indicating the skewed attitudes of non-Spartans toward the relatively egalitarian approach of the City State.

Religious Obligations

Religion played a vital role in Spartan life, and women participated actively in various religious ceremonies and rituals. They held prominent positions in cults of goddesses such as Eileithyia, Artemis Orthia, and Demeter. Most of these cults were associated with fertility, childbirth, and agriculture, given that these aspects of life were crucial for the average Spartan woman. Their involvement in these cults extended beyond mere participation; they held responsibilities for organizing festivals, overseeing sacrifices, and maintaining religious traditions. Women, both young and elderly, would be priestesses in these goddess cults, often offering spiritual guidance and the way forward for other Spartans.

During public festivals like the Gymnopaedia, women would witness the male populace indulge in war dances, singing songs, and honoring Apollo. While there is some evidence to suggest that young, unmarried girls would have also participated in the games and festivities of the Gymnopaedia, older women would have reveled in the religious festivities from the sidelines. Additionally, religious indulgence also provided Spartan women with opportunities for social interaction and celebration outside the confines of their homes.

Participation in religious activities not only fulfilled spiritual obligations but also served as a means of expression and community engagement for Spartan women, enriching their lives and reinforcing their societal responsibilities.

Athletics

Unlike their Athenian counterparts, Spartan women actively engaged in athletic pursuits until they were married. It is known that married Spartan women did not indulge in sports or athletic events. While not directly trained in warfare, their physical training regimen instilled agility, strength, and endurance, crucial qualities for future mothers and contributing to the overall health of the Spartan population. As mentioned in the laws provided by King Lycurgus, it is stated that he intended for the Spartan women to be just as physically agile and capable as Sparta’s male population. It isn't clear whether girls and boys had common training protocols for their physical fitness; however, it is known that both sexes participated in religious festivals and the associated games such as running and wrestling.

Spartan women trained in a variety of sports and even participated in the Heraean Games, which was a sporting event exclusively held for women. While there’s still considerable debate over whether this was a prenuptial ritual, it is evident that Spartan women demonstrated considerable athletic prowess and were famous for their physical agility and fitness. It is important, however, to note that athletic training for most girls was administered not primarily for the sake of physical prowess in itself but instead as a promoting factor that would make them able mothers. Since all Spartan values converged on the constant need for able bodies to populate Sparta’s military, athleticism and physical fitness were encouraged in women because it was thought that physically fit and strong women would birth healthy Spartan children.

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