Special Study
To what
extent did women in Sparta enjoy a fuller involvement in the life of their polis
as compared to the women of Athens around 450 BC?
“At a time when Greek women
were expected to be invisible, [Spartan women] had power and responsibility in
their own right. In fact, they were so cocksure that they dared to take on men:
in politics, on the streets and even in the most sacred bastion – the sporting
arena”[1].
These words perfectly describe
the levels of involvement of Spartan and Athenian women in their polis around 450 BC. The women of Sparta enjoyed a significantly fuller involvement in
the life of their polis as compared
to women of Athens, who were expected to remain unseen. The distinct variation
between the rights of women in each polis
was evident in politics, where Spartan women were accepted and specifically
trained in public speaking, unlike their Athenian counterparts, who were not
considered to be full citizens of their state. The differentiation between the
women of Sparta and Athens was also apparent through economic life, where
respected women of Sparta were conscientiously involved in trade, and were
responsible for the household economy, whilst Athenian women were not legally
eligible to possess anything of higher value than household items. The rights
of Spartan women in their polis as
compared to the women of Athens was evident through several aspects of their
lives, none more so than marriage, childrearing and in the oikos household. Where Spartan women were married, with the
blessing of their kyrios, to a man of
their own choice who was of similar age, the grooms of Athenian women were
chosen by their kyrios. Spartan women
were well-treated, as their society depended on the birth of healthy, strong
sons, however Athenian women were expected to be invisible, and their existence
was virtually confined to their segregated quarters. Education and physical
activities were also areas in which the involvement of Spartan women differed
to that of Athenian women. Thus, Spartan women enjoyed a much fuller
involvement all aspects of life in their polis,
as compared to Athenian women who were generally expected to remain unseen.
The involvement of women in
Spartan politics differed significantly
from that of Athenian women in their polis,
as Spartan women had a great deal
more power through their need to voice their own opinions whilst their husbands
were absent from the household. Women had a considerable impact on politics in
Sparta, as, “[they] were trained to speak in public… [and] made sure that their
opinions were heard”[2],
and, “no other Greek women are reported to have been involved in elections to
the extent that Spartans were”[3]. Women
had an involvement equal to men throughout political Sparta, as they were in
charge of the polis when the men went
to war, providing them with a sense of equality in that, “as Aristotle remarked
in his discussion of Sparta, in warlike societies men are dominated by their
wives”[4].
Spartan women were responsible for the health of their polis’ economy, and hence, “wielded political influence through
their economic power”[5]. Conversely,
definite sexual discrimination was evident throughout the political atmosphere
of Athens, as, “[women] could not attend or vote at meetings of the Assembly,
sit on juries, or serve as Council members, magistrates, or generals”[6]. In
the Athenian polis, “women were not
considered to be politai – a word
which…specifically signifies citizens with full political rights, who were
always male”[7],
so men dominated the political field, and the opinions of women were not taken
into account when decisions were, most likely because women were confined to
the household, where the political decisions of the polis bore no effect. Throughout Athenian society, “men in the
democratic state were defined by their active involvement in political life,
and women were defined by their exclusion from that sphere”[8]. A
distinct variation is henceforth evident between the two poli, as, “Spartan women were encouraged and trained to speak in
public”[9],
whereas in Athens, “respectable women were encouraged not to speak”[10]. Hence,
the women of Sparta enjoyed a significantly larger involvement in the political
environment of their polis than Athenian
women.
The economy was another vital
component of the lives of both Spartans and Athenians where there was a
definite comparison evident between the involvement of women. The women of Sparta were treated with
far more equality than those of Athens throughout economic life and trading, in
that, “[Spartan] women had the right to possess, control, and inherit property”[11],
as, “a woman’s work was recognised as producing wealth”[12].
Women were in control of the economy of the household, as their fathers and
husbands were predominantly absent, and in doing so had a significant influence
on the economy, “because the Spartan economy was based entirely upon
agriculture”[13],
and hence, “women controlled a significant portion of the means of production”[14]. The
rights of women in Athens regarding economic matters distinguished themselves
from those of Spartan women, as, “in law, an Athenian woman had no independent
existence. She was always assumed to be incorporated into the oikos, which was headed by her kyrios, or male guardian”[15],
who was, “responsible for her economic maintenance”[16],
ensuring that she had no involvement. Athenian women were considered as the
property of their husbands or fathers, and, “could not by law enter into any
contract ‘beyond the value of one medimnos
of barley’”[17].
Spartan women participated in everyday trade and dealt with the economy of
their household. Contrastingly, Athenian women were not legally permitted to
have an involvement in the economic life of their polis, and rather were considered as an item of property by the men
of their society. The involvement of women in Sparta was therefore much more
equal to those of men when compared with the participation of Athenian women in
their own polis.
The lives of women in Sparta
differed to those of women in Athens in several aspects, none more prominent
than in the oikos, where every aspect
was contrasting. When, “the Athenian was not quite fifteen: she married a
stranger nearly twice her age, moved to a new house, and rarely saw her friends
and relatives again. The Spartan, in contrast married a young man close in age”[18],
while Spartan wives were often left alone to supervise the oikos, and so husbands required confidence and trust in their
wives, whereas in Athens husbands were able to oversee their wife at all times.
Throughout their marriage, Spartan, “women were well fed and well treated,
because happy, healthy women were more likely to produce healthy babies”[19],
and, “bearing children was the most important function of Spartan women, since
the state was constantly at war”[20]. In
Sparta, it was not uncommon for women to remain unmarried, whereas, “Greek
society demanded that all matured women be married, and destined all young
women for that end”[21]. Within
the household, Spartan women possessed control, as, “housework and fabrication
of clothing were left to women of inferior classes, while citizen women were
occupied with gymnastics, music, household management, and childrearing”[22],
whereas in an Athenian household, “women continued to perform household tasks”[23]. As
mothers, Spartan women adopted a strict policy, as the success of a son on the
battlefield was a tribute to his upbringing, and so, “instead of lamenting at
the death of their sons, [mothers] took pride in the bravery that had led to
that fate”[24].
Their strict parenting technique could also be linked to their absent husbands,
as mothers alone were responsible for the raising of their children whilst men
were at war. Of this unique approach to childrearing Plutarch stated,
“Argileonis, mother of Brasidas, when her son had died, and some of the
citizens of Amphipolis came to Sparta to visit her, asked them whether her son
had died finely and as befitted a Spartan. When they praised him to the skies
and told her that he was the best of all the Spartans in such deeds of valour,
she replied: ‘My friends it is true that my child was a fine and good man, but
Sparta has many men better than he’”[25].
Hence, the role of women in the family life of Sparta differed significantly
from the women of Athens, accentuating the difference between the involvement
of women in each polis.
In several other aspects of
society, the involvement of Spartan women differentiated significantly from the
participation of Athenian women in matters of their polis, specifically in education and physical activity. The
variation between Spartan and Athenian women was apparent in several areas of
everyday life through education, as, “only in Sparta did the state prescribe an
educational program for both boys and girls”[26],
although, “from Plutarch we hear that the education of girls was aimed at
producing healthy bodies, so that ‘the fruit they conceive might take firmer
root and find better growth and that they, with this greater vigour, might be
more able to undergo the pains of childbearing’”[27]. In Athens an entirely different
opinion was evident, and the education of girls was confined to the household. It
is apparent from the majority of sources that, “Spartan girls…did undergo some
form of public educational instruction”[28],
whereas there is very little evidence to support education of Athenian girls in
any form outside of their household. Spartan girls received a higher education
because as adults they had a more dominant role in the success of the polis than that of Athenian women, who
were confined to household tasks, and so they only, “learned the skills that
[they] would need as an adult”[29]. Physical
activity was yet another area in which the involvement of Spartan women was
superior to that of Athenian women. Evidence
of the physical activities of Sparta is evident throughout history, and, “there
is more evidence for the athletic activities of Spartan women alone than for
the athletics of all the women in the rest of the Greek world combined”[30]. Xenophon
stated that, “Lycurgus instituted physical training for women no less than for
men, including competitions in racing and trials of strength”[31],
and, “Plutarch gives a more explicit account of the physical curriculum,
mentioning running, wrestling, discus throwing, and hurling the javelin”[32]. Contrastingly,
“there is no evidence to suggest that Athenian girls were given any kind of
systematic athletics training in the gymnasium, as boys were”[33]. Hence,
in everyday activities, such as education and physical activities, Spartan
women enjoyed an involvement equal to that of men, whilst Athenian women
remained inferior.
The differentiation in the level
of involvement of a Spartan woman in her polis
and that of an Athenian woman in her respective polis was great. Throughout
all areas of their lives, Spartan women were provided with equality, whereas
Athenian women were considered merely as property. The diversity of the rights
of Spartan women as compared to other Greek poli
was particularly evident throughout the political environment, as Spartan women were allowed to speak
and had a large impact on decisions regarding the welfare of the polis, but Athenian women had no rights,
and were not considered to be politai. A
distinct variation was also apparent between Spartan and Athenian women through
the economy of each polis, as Spartan
women were involved in trade and supervised the economy of the household, but
Athenian women had no independent existence outside of their oikos. The variation between Spartan and
Athenian was arguably most evident through their activity within the oikos. Spartan women were fed well, as
it was hypothesised that a healthy mother would produce strong, healthy sons –
a vital component of Spartan society, while Athenian wives were much more
subdued, and were confined to their segregated quarters. It is evident that in
all factors of the lives of Spartan women, their involvement in the happenings
of their polis was much greater than
that of Athenian women, including in their lifestyle and activities, such as
education and physical activity. Thus, Spartan women experienced a much fuller
involvement in all aspects of their polis
than their fellow Athenian women.
Bibliography:
Blundell,
S., Women in Ancient Greece. British
Museum Press, London. 1995.
Bradley,
P., Ancient Greece. Edward Arnold, Melbourne. 1988.
Brulé,
P., (transl. Nevill, A.), Women of
Ancient Greece. Edinburgh University Press, Paris. 2003.
Cartledge,
P., The Spartans. The World of the
Warrior – Heroes of Ancient Greece. The Overlook Press, New York. 2003.
Forrest,
W.G., A History of Sparta 959-192 B.C.
Hutchinson University Library, London. 1971.
Lucas,
D. W., The Greek Tragic Poets. Cohen
and West, London. 1959.
Pomeroy,
S. B., Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and
Slaves. Random House, London. 1975.
Pomeroy,
S. B., Spartan Women. Oxford
University Press, New York. 2002.
The Spartans: The Battle for Supremacy. (DVD) Public Broadcasting Service/Paramount. Washington D.C.. 2004.
[1]
The
Spartans: The Battle for Supremacy, (DVD) Public Broadcasting Service/Paramount, Washington D. C.,
2004.
[2] ibid. P. 7.
[3] S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, Oxford University Press, New York, 2002, P. 92.
[4] ibid.
[5] ibid. P. 93.
[6] S. Blundell, Women in Ancient Greece, British Museum Press, London, 1995, P. 128.
[7] ibid.
[8] ibid. P. 129.
[9] S. B Pomeroy, op. cit. P. 9.
[10] ibid.
[11] S. B. Pomeroy, Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, Random House, London, 1975, P.
39.
[12] ibid. P. 40.
[13] S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, op. cit. P. 82.
[14] ibid.
[15] S. Blundell, op. cit.
P. 114.
[16] ibid.
[17] ibid.
[18] S. B Pomeroy, Spartan Women, op. cit. P. 44.
[19] The Spartans: The Battle for Supremacy. op. cit. P. 6.
[20] S. B. Pomeroy, Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, op. cit. P. 36.
[21] ibid. P. 18.
[22] ibid. P. 36.
[23] ibid. P. 43.
[24] S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, op. cit. P. 57.
[25] P. Cartledge, The Spartans. The World of the Warrior –
Heroes of Ancient Greece, The Overlook Press, New York, 2003, P. 179.
[26] S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, op. cit. P. 3
[27] P. Bradley, Ancient Greece. Using Evidence: Sparta, Edward
Arnold, Melbourne, 1988, P. 65.
[28] P. Cartledge, op.
cit. P. 167.
[29] S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, op. cit. P. 3.
[30] ibid. P. 12.
[31] ibid. P. 13.
[32] ibid.
[33] S. Blundell, op. cit. P. 133.
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