Special Study: Draft 1
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 particularly evident through the political environment, where Spartan women
were accepted in the political environment, and were specifically trained in
public speaking, unlike their Athenian counterparts, who were not considered to
be full citizens of their state. The extreme 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 a higher value than household items. There was an obvious
contrast between the rights of Spartan women in their polis as compared to the women of Athens, which was evident through
several aspects of their lives, none more so than marriage, childrearing and in
the oikos household. Where Spartan
women were married to a man of their own choice, with the blessing of their kyrios, who was a similar age, the
grooms of Athenian women were chosen by their kyrios. Spartan women were treated well 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 could be compared 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. Spartan women conquered their living environment in a number
of areas where an Athenian woman failed to do so, in particular the political environment
of their state. Spartan women had a great deal more power in the political
field, as they needed 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]. 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”[5]. 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”[6].
Men dominated the political field, and the opinions of women were not taken
into account when decisions were made, similar to values present throughout
Athens as a whole. 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”[7]. A
distinct variation is henceforth evident between the two poli, as, “Spartan women were encouraged and trained to speak in
public”[8],
whereas in Athens, “respectable women were encouraged not to speak”[9]. 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 in their polis. The women of Sparta were treated
with far more equality than those of Athens throughout economic life and
trading, as it was stated, “[Spartan] women had the right to possess, control,
and inherit property”[10],
as, “a woman’s work was recognised as producing wealth”[11].
Women were in control of the economy of the household, as their fathers and
husbands were predominantly absent. The rights of women in Athens regarding economic
matters significantly distinguished themselves from the rights 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”[12].
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’”[13]. However, 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 state.
The lives of women in Sparta
differed to those of women in Athens in several aspects, none more prominent
than in the family situation, where every aspect of their family life 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”[14]. Throughout
their marriage, Spartan, “women were well fed and well treated, because happy,
healthy women were more likely to produce healthy babies”[15],
as, “bearing children was the most important function of Spartan women, since
the state was constantly at war”[16]. In
Sparta, it was not uncommon for women to remain unmarried, whereas, “heroic
Greek society demanded that all matured women be married, and destined all young
women for that end”[17]. Within
the household, Spartan women were considered the ‘queen bees’, 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”[18],
whereas in an Athenian household, “women continued to perform the household
tasks described in the Homeric epics”[19]. 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”[20].
This unique approach to childrearing was evident as 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’”[21].
It is apparent that 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 state, specifically in
education and physical activity. The variation between Spartan and Athenian
women was apparent in a number of areas of everyday life, in particular through
education, where Sparta was unique in their opinion on the education of girls,
as it was, “the only polis where the
training of girls was prescribed and supported by public authority”[22],
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’”[23].
In Athens an entirely different opinion was evident, as, “the Athenians
believed that women were handicapped by intellect”[24],
and their education was confined to the household. It is apparent from the
majority of sources that, “Spartan girls too…did undergo some form of public
educational instruction”[25],
whereas there is very little evidence to support education of Athenian girls in
any form outside of their household. 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”[26]. Xenophon
stated that, “Lycurgus instituted physical training for women no less than for
men, including competitions in racing and trials of strength”[27],
and, “Plutarch gives a more explicit account of the physical curriculum,
mentioning running, wrestling, discus throwing, and hurling the javelin”[28]. Contrastingly,
“there is no evidence to suggest that Athenian girls were given any kind of
systematic athletics training in the gymnasium, as boys were”[29]. 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 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 in politics, as women of Sparta were allowed to speak and
had rights equal to those of men, and had a large impact on major decisions of
the welfare of the polis, as the
state was constantly at war. Alternatively, Athenian women had no political
rights, and were not considered to be politai,
and thus a differentiation is evident between the two states. A distinct
variation was evident between Spartan and Athenian women in the economic life
of each polis. The contrast between
the rights of these women was plain; Spartan women were involved in trade and
supervised the economy of the household, but Athenian women had no independent
existence outside of their family oikos. Although
there was variation in several aspects of the lives of Spartan women as
compared to Athenian women, none was more distinct than their involvement and
treatment through marriage, childrearing, and the household. 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 generally 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 is
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. Using Evidence:
Sparta. 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. Public Broadcasting
Service/Paramount. Washington D.C. 2004.
[1]
The
Spartans: The Battle for Supremacy, Public
Broadcasting Service/Paramount, Washington D. C, 2004, P. 6.
[2] ibid. P. 7.
[3] S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, Oxford University Press, New York, 2002, P. 92.
[4] ibid.
[5] S. Blundell, Women in Ancient Greece, British Museum Press, London, 1995, P.
128.
[6] ibid.
[7] ibid. P. 129.
[8]
S. B Pomeroy, op.
cit. P. 9.
[9] ibid.
[10] S. B. Pomeroy, Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, Random House, London, 1975, P.
39.
[11] ibid. P. 40.
[12] S. Blundell, op.
cit. P. 114.
[13] ibid.
[14] S. B Pomeroy, Spartan Women, op. cit. P. 44.
[15] The Spartans: The Battle for Supremacy. op. cit. P. 6.
[16] S. B. Pomeroy, Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, op. cit. P. 36.
[17] ibid. P. 18.
[18] ibid. P. 36.
[19] ibid. P. 43.
[20] S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, op. cit. P. 57.
[21] P. Cartledge, The SPARTANS. The World of the Warrior –
Heroes of Ancient Greece, The Overlook Press, New York, 2003, P. 179.
[22] P. Bradley, Ancient Greece. Using Evidence: Sparta, Edward Arnold, Melbourne,
1988, P.
[23] P. Bradley, op.
cit. P. 65.
[24]
Athenians
[25] P. Cartledge, op.
cit. P. 167.
[26] S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, op. cit. P. 12.
[27] ibid. P. 13.
[28] ibid.
[29] S. Blundell, op. cit. P. 133.
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