sparta

• how are children important in sparta

  • women can only get grave markers when they borne children
  • monuments honour women to celebrate their honour to the state
• how normalised is polyandry?

  • women could often have multiple sexual partners for bearing children
  • especially if she has an old husband

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• quotes xenophon

  "Xenophon - "he would bring into his house a man whose body and mind he admired, for the purpose of bearing children."
• plutarch


  "To introduce him to her and adopt the offspring as their own"
• why was children important

  sparta discouraged wealth gain + no concerns over inheritance + everyone is equal
• duties of slaves


  • stay inside do wool working
  • make sure enough food was provided to support household + husbands syssition
• duties of spartan women

  • physical training, managing household + farm, upholding spartan ethos
  • to make max contribution = keep having kids till fertile + physical training after getting married to maintain good health
• were they educated

  • training in arithmetic to make decisions what to grow, when to purchase equipment, what to sell
  • they can inherit property = wealthy + powerful enough to make decsions about how to spend money themselves
• quote about women having authority

  "Some say that Spartan women are too bold and mannish even towards their husbands as they have authority over their households, and in public affairs, share in the deliberation and freedom of speech on very important issues"
• duty of a spartan mother

  • instill a love of sparta and obedience to its the system to their sons
  • mothers expected to send sons away to agoge and had to prepare sons by making sure they loved sparta and were willing to give anything to protect it
• how are spartan women described + evidence

  • bold, mannish, strong, enduring, patriotic
  • " return either with your shield or on it"
• freedom of spartan women

  • polyandry, dress less conservatively, contribution to kleros,
  • make financial decisions, be educated in arithmetic, inherit property, eat wtv they want
  • interact with men, know their husbands
• restrictions in sparta


  • must send son to agoge, extreme prioritisation of sparta, must have kids or no grave marker, not a wife till pregnant
  • left home alone for 10yrs, lack of dowry means no support, no jewllery or cosmetics