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Chapter 6 – Ancient Greece
Ancient Greek culture
What where the roles of women in ancient civilization
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Chapter 6 – Ancient Greece
Ancient Greek culture
What where the roles of women in ancient civilization
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Amelia-Rose Graham CLAS 104: Greek Mythologies March 16 2017 Hesiod on the Origins of Women The poet Hesiod tell the story of Pandora, the first women in Greek Mythology, in both Theogony and Works and Days. In both these pieces his tone implies his dislike of women, calling them “beautiful evil” in Theogony and “a plague to men” in Works and Days. Overall, he comes across as misogynistic, blaming all the misery of men on Pandora, and the resultant female kind.
The Homeric Hymns portray Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis and Hestia as strong females who uphold their own beliefs; challenging the “typical” gender stereotypes of the time period. Women in antiquity were expected to follow and uphold certain societal rules, most of these rules emphasized the gender stereotypes that women were perceived as being. The use of the goddesses powers challenge these societal rules and ideas about women. Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, and Hestia are portrayed in the Homeric Hymns in contrast to ancient stereotypical roles of women being confined to the household; as a result this contrast emphasizes that women can showcase strength, intelligence, and power within society. A women’s life in antiquity was constricted by
In Ancient Greek Civilization, women were viewed as submissive. A man always controlled the women; that either being the Father or Husband. Women were forced to stay in the house and complete all household duties. Women were not even granted the right to attend assemblies, participate in politics, or even represent themselves in court. Having little to no overall power in your society can have a huge burden on Women but this can also fuel certain Women to strive to change the society they live in.
Life is a never ending game, each situation is a new level. In order to be successful in life, you must follow the rules or else there will be consequences. Ray Bradbury’s, “A Sound Of Thunder” is about a company called Time Safari INC. which allows people to travel back into time and go on a hunting safari. Eckels, a man who is about to embark on this safari journey seems a bit odd from the beginning. Time Safari INC, has extremely specific rules and once you break one of these rules, your life will be on the line.
Ancient Greece was not a high point for gender equality in history. The duties and obligations of men and women were entirely different, and the rules were often much more complicated and stringent for women. For example, a female companion or the man who “owned” them had to accompany them, and if they wished to visit the theatre, the law forced them to sit in the back rows. The laws also banned them from watching any genre besides tragedy. However, even in an era of such gender discrimination, Homer includes many examples of strong, independent women, including both goddesses and mortal women.
The story, Women of Troy depicts women as mothers, slaves, sexual beings, warriors, and survivors that overcame devastation of losing their men and children to war. With effects from a wicked war, these women felt hopeless, humilated, and hostile due to the loss of their men . However, women are considered the main focuses, therefore perceived as important, heroic, courageous survivors of tragedy. Euripides an ancient Greek tragedian of classical Athens wrote about Women of Troy, he wanted his audience to understand what happens to women and children after Greeks sieged Troy city, women were treated as worthless beings, fate lie in hands from men whom killed thousands.
There are many ways mythology can be interpreted beyond the simple storytelling it represents. It is a culture’s way of explaining the world, yes, but it can also be used to gain a deeper understanding of said culture. Myths reflect attitudes, fears, beliefs and can lead to a fuller knowledge of the people who nurtured and created them. At least that’s what P. Walcot argues in his article Greek Attitudes towards Women: The Mythological Evidence. By using mythological characters and stories as proof, Walcot claims that there is a relationship between female sexuality, female empowerment and the ancient Greeks’ intense mistrust of the female gender.
The treatment of women during the Hellenic and Hellenistic eras differed from area to area with Polis’s such as Athens and Sparta, though geographically close, had different standards and laws set for women, while also sharing similar cultural views on women. Differently, with the rise of Rome, there was an introduction of more rights for women and a contrasting view of the relation between husband & wife, yet also retaining similar views to that of the Greeks. Lastly, the successor kingdoms of the Hellenistic era are where there is a significant divergent of how women are treated and viewed, with powerful female rulers springing up from these kingdoms. Athens was arguably the most restrictive of the four when discussing women’s right and how they were view in that society.
Women’s roles has changed dramatically throughout history. By looking at the lives of women, it would be possible to tell how the civilians at that specific period of time were living. In this paper, women’s lives in mainly three civilizations would be discussed, the Sparta, the Athens, and the Hellenistic era. In Sparta, women were needed to live at home, while their husbands remained in military barracks until the age thirty.
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The above passage is taken from Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War, near the end of Pericles’s funeral oration in the winter of 431 B.C.E. Pericles’s statement displays the dichotomy of the social expectations of men and women in Classical Greece. Men controlled all aspects of public life, including government, social events, and rituals. Women were to remain at home, keeping silent and performing tasks given to them by their husbands and fathers. This dichotomy is very prevalent in ancient Greek funerary rituals. In these rites, the complementary roles played by males and females do not simply mark and facilitate transitions undergone by the deceased and by bereaved relatives, but these gendered roles also ultimately re-assert and
In the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds, there was a strong emphasis on ‘natural’ roles during sex wherein men would take on an active role whereas women would take on a passive role. With this, any actions that deviated from these natural roles were perceived as being against nature and were considered to be wrong, including male-male sexual intercourse as a man would be engaging in a passive role. Despite this, pederasty, in which an older man would engage in sexual intercourse with a younger man, was common during the time. These relations were not seen in the same way as sexual intimacy and would not have brought the same shame onto the men engaged in pederastic relationships as the shame brought on to men engaged in male-male sexual relationships.
In ancient times, there is a general sense that women were simply items and slaves to their husbands. Ancient Greece specifically has a renowned reputation of favoring men. Men possessed the dominant role in public affairs and events while most women were pressured to stay at home. Very few records extensively discuss women; the records focus mostly on men. Despite the lacking records, it is certain how ancient Greeks viewed their women and their relationships with their male counterparts.
The art and literature that a society produces often reflect their community’s beliefs, social norms, and political views. That is also true in the case of Greek mythology. The myths show how deeply the Greeks revered the gods, and mirror how they behaved in their daily activities. The myths also reflect the presence of the patriarchal society in Ancient Greece. It shows the limitations that were placed on the female, whether she is immortal or human.
The men of Athens feel threatened when women show agency because their whole patriarchal system depends on female complacency. Although Athenian society