Women In Ancient Greece

Did you know that chastity is a sacred virtue among women in ancient Greece up until they are married?

If the modern women are restricted to doing the activities of the women in ancient Greece, the number one cause of death among them would be depression. Those who lived in the time of the ancient Greece were purely confined to their homes. They are said to be in command of the household, which in simpler terms, making sure that the homes are clean and the children are well-cared for.

Almost all resources regarding the women in ancient Greece speak mainly about those from Athens. This is probably due to the fact that most of these literatures were written by Athenian men. It wasn’t clearly stated whether women in other parts of ancient Greece lived differently from how the women in Athens did. But, those from ancient Sparta seem to be the one that is strongly emphasized to have lived otherwise.

Women in ancient Greece were divided into three classes. The slave women, who had the task of carrying out domestic chores, comprised the lowest class. The second class was made up of the citizen women, while, the third class, known as the hetaerae, were women of high stature. Unlike the first two classes, the hetaerae were the women in ancient Greece that were not deprived of education. They were not also banned from entering the Agora or any other structures that were off limits to the two other classes. There are some literatures however, that point out the hetaerae as in the level of the prostitutes and that whatever power they have was not that considerable.

Raising women in ancient Greece entail a different kind of responsibility. Boys are trained to be men early on. However, girls were confined to the homes and were made to practice chastity until after they are married. And although the women in ancient Greece portrayed an important role in their numerous festivals, they, along with the children, were not allowed to watch the Olympic Games as most participants compete without any clothes on. The only game that the women in ancient Greece were allowed to participate in was the chariot race. And the only time they could win was if the horses won and these were their own.

Modern women certainly enjoy a level of freedom that the women in ancient Greece probably never even dreamed of. Theirs was a life of utter obedience. People have accused the Greek men, up to this date, as male chauvinists. Much as we grumble about the role (and the lack of it) of the women in ancient Greek, we can’t change that. And why bother? Women in ancient Greece never did.