Young women : Classics

• What does the Athenian oikos (household) include?

  • Kyrios (male head of the household)
  • Main married couple (kyrios and kyria)
  • Children
  • Young unmarried couples
  • Grandparents
  • Slaves
  • Dependents of the kyrios
  • Family land, property, and animals
• What does the separation of quarters for women and men in Athenian houses suggest about their beliefs regarding women?

  It indicates a belief in the need to control women's interactions with men.
• Why were Athenian men paranoid about women sleeping with other men?

  They feared illegitimate children that could not be legitimized.
• What were some reasons an Athenian kyrios might expose children, especially girls?

  Dowry costs and the belief that girls are a financial burden.
• What did boys and girls learn in Athenian education?

  Boys:

  • Reading
  • Military training
  • Arithmetic
  • Music
  • Physical education

  
  

  Girls:

  • Practical skills to be a kyria
  • Spinning wool
  • Weaving
  • Cooking
  • Managing the household
• What might lower-class girls learn in addition to household skills?

  Training in finances and record-keeping for family business participation.
• What did Menander warn about educating women?

  He suggested it could be dangerous and even lethal.
• What does the vase depiction of a woman reading suggest about Athenian girls?

  Some Athenian girls may have known how to read.
• Why must we be careful with the sources about Athenian education?

  Sources may not accurately reflect the number of educated women or societal attitudes.
• What role did mothers play in the education of children according to Plato?

  Mothers, along with others, influenced children's understanding of right and wrong.
• How does Aristotle differentiate the qualities of men and women in education?

  He states that men's courage is shown in commanding, while women's is shown in obeying.
• What does Aristotle mean by "Silence is a woman's glory"?


  He implies that women should be quiet and submissive.