Young Women

• Who was the kyrios?

  - a woman´s husband, father, son- from the moment she was born till the day she died an Athenian woman was underdirect controlof herkyrios
• A: What happened when a baby was born?

  the kyrios would decide whether it should be welcomed into the household orexposed
• A: Why were girls at a far greater risk of being exposed than boys were?

  - girls were not allowed to inherit

  - boys can bring power and reputation home

  - required an expensive dowry (25% of kyrios´ wealth)
• What kind of education did Athenian boys receive?

  literacy, numeracy, music, physical education
• A: What kind of education did Athenian girls receive?

  - young girls did not receive formal education- they would betrainedat home to be a goodkyrialater in life and uphold the Athenian ethos ofself-sufficiencye.g. weaving, spinning, cooking
• What evidence is there to show the education of Athenian boys?

  -5th century vase paintingsdepict the education of boys:-Grammatistes:reading + writing-Citharistes:music, depicted playing theaulos-Paedogogus: would look after the young master and report back to the kyrios
• What is evidence that suggests the education of some Athenian girls?


  A5th century vase paintingsuggests thatsome women knew how to read, perhaps taking advantage of their brother´s tutors:- depicts an upper class woman sitting on aklismosand reading from apapyrus- presence of slaves >> wealthy
• A: What is some evidence suggesting that some men disapproved of educating women?

  comic playwright, Menander, wrote:´A man who teaches a woman to write should recognise he is providing poison to an asp´:>> teaching girls to read and write was not the norm>> men viewed literate women asdangerous
• What kind of education did lower-class Athenian girls receive?

  - poorer girls had to play a more active role in the family business- so they had more education infinances
• What kind of education did upper-class Athenian girls receive?

  if educated at all, less in maths and more inreading for pleasure
• What sort of differences did social class make to a young Athenian girl´s education?

  - education would be restricted to typically´feminine´ activitiese.g. domestic tasks, weaving- a girls only purpose is to getmarried(form alliances),produce heirsand look after thehouseholdso there isno need for education- men seen as superior >> more worthy of education
• How did Athenian betrothals occur?

  What age did girl´s get betrothed?

  -The betrothal was arranged by the bride´s father, herkyrios-Girls could be betrothed as young as 5, but the usual age was around 14 or 15.
• Why were Athenian girls married at such a young age?

  - younger women seen as moredesirable>>virgins,pure- marriage was not about romance - important to find a suitable matchasapas it was more of abusiness dealbetween 2 families- the girl could get used to the idea of being married
• What was the main purpose of Athenian betrothals?

  What did the kyrios look for in a suitor?

  - marriages were more of apolitical connectionandbusiness alliancebetween 2 families

  characteristics:- financially secure- held a good social position- a good political connection- relationship beneficial to both families
• What evidence is there to show that the main purpose of Athenian betrothals was functional?

  ´i give you this girl for the ploughing of legitimate children´(oath made at a betrothal ceremony)>> devoid of romance´oath´>> producing children the main purpose of marriage´ploughing´woman dehumanised, reduced down to her ability to have children
• 1. What was the dowry?

  2. What was its purpose in Athenian marriages?

  3. Why was it of such great importance?

  4. How much did the kyrios have to pay?


  1. the share of thekyrios´wealthset aside for a girl´smarriage

  2.purpose- tosupportthe girl while she was married-financial compensation- afforded the girl a certain amount ofsecurity

  3. whoever possessed the dowry wasobliged by law to maintain the woman.In the case ofdivorce, it had to bereturnedso she could remarry

  4. thekyrioshad to pay25%of his wealth to the groom´s family
• Why did the dowry afford an Athenian wife a certain amount of secuirity?


  -compensationfor the woman becoming the financial responsibility of her husband

  - used tosupportthe woman

  - the man would lose the dowry if he divorced, >>motivationto keep the marriage going

  - law stated the possessor of the dowry had to maintain the woman
• Outline the main events of an Athenian wedding

  weddings lasted 3 days

  1. bride, female relatives and friends would share afeast2. bride would makesacrificestoArtemis. She would offer alock of her hairand herchildhood toys3. ritual bath in water from the holy spring at the foot of theAcropolis4. water brought in a special jar called aloutrophos5. dressed in her finest clothes and jewelleries. she wore a special dress,veiland headband6.kyrioswould host a weddingfeast7.torchlight procession:- groom dragged bride away from her mother- put her in a cart and took her to his house8. couple would retire to their bedroom and would spend the night together. their friends would stand guard, singing hymns and banging on the door
• Aspects of Athenian wedding that symbolised something

  1. sacrifices

  2. ritual bath

  3. veil

  4. torchlight procession

  5. dragging bride away from her mother

  6. carrying a pomegranate

  7. women throwing fruit, nuts, flowers

  8. bride taken to the hearth

  9. axel of processional cart burned

  -Bride made sacrifices to Artemis, goddess of childhood and virginity. She offered a lock of her hair and her childhood toys>> to thank the goddess for her protection during childhood>> represents leaving her childhood behind

  -Bride had a ritual bath with water from the holy spring at the foot of the Acropolis>> purify bride>> enhance fertility

  -Most important part of wedding outfit was the veil, which covered her face>> reflecting her modesty>> faithfulness>> symbolic of her keeping herself for her husband

  -Torchlight procession>> to ward off evil>> bride officially stopped being a member of her childhood household

  -Groom would drag the bride away from her mother, putting her in a cart>> marks the end of childhood>> end of life in that household

  -Carried a pomegranate during procession>> symbolises Persophone´s abduction>> she cannot return to her old life

  -Women threw fruits, nuts and flowers>> fertility

  -At the end of the procession, bride would be taken to the hearth of the groom´s house>> symbolises her new role in the household

  -Axle of processional cart burned>> bride could no longer return to her previous home
• What would an Athenian woman have enjoyed about her wedding?

  - the bride would be joined by herfemalerelatives and friends and they would share afeast>> a treat>> normally women wereexempt from feastsand had to stay in thegynacaeium>> bride feelingvaluedandspecial

  - bride dressed in herfinest clothesand-jewellery>> contrary to how women were normally expected to dress asmodestandunpretentious>> woman thecentre of attention,special,acknowledged>>Hipponax quote

  - bride would be givengiftse.g. clothing, jewellery>> making her feelimportant
• State the quote that suggests that one of the only times a woman was the centre of attention was on her wedding

  ´The two best days in a woman´s life are when someone marries her and when her dead body is carried to the grave´-Hipponax, satirist>> only times women are centre of attention>> women were not treated special until their wedding day
• A: Why were eyewitnesses so important to the wedding ceremony?

  -to further pressure the woman into the marriage

  -to legitimise children

  -no official written documentation so witnesses could attest to the marriage
• How is the Athenian marriage ceremony similar to the myth of Persephone´s abduction by Hades?

  -persephone described as aninnocent child/maiden>> girls betrothed at ayoung age, showsloss of innocence

  -hades abducted persephone from her mother >> groom drags bride away from her mother

  -persephone ate pomegranate seeds in the underworld, meaning she could never leave >> bride holds a pomegranate to show theres no leaving the marriage

  -persephone becomes queen of the underworld >> bride gets crowned
• What is Sparta famous for?

  How were Spartan laws and customs designed?

  -famous for being the´warrior society´of antiquity-producing elite soldiers
• S: Who decided whether a baby was kept or exposed?

  What were the criteria for this?

  -spartan elders

  -if the baby was deemed to be sturdy and not weak or deformed in any way, they would order it to be kept

  -if not, it would be left to die
• Was there any preference in raising boys and girls in Sparta?

  What does this suggest?

  -there wasno preferencefor raising boys or girls. the only criterion was thehealth of the baby-this suggests that thespartan eldersvalued the contribution women made to Sparta
• What kinds of education did Spartan girls receive?

  What was the reason?

  -girls engaged inphysical trainingjust like the boys-the biographer,Plutarch, said that spartan girls had to´wrestle,runandthrow the javelin´
• Evidence for the physical education of Spartan women


  A metal figurinedepicts a spartan girl in the position of alungeIt depicts herexposed thighsandimmodest clothing>> shows how modesty was less valued in spartan society
• Why did Spartan girls do a lot of physical training?

  according to thebiographer,Plutarchthis was so that they might:´withstand childbearingbecause of their strength and struggle smoothly and easily through the pains of childbirthand´in order that when they have babies,those babies should be strong and healthy´
• Evidence of Sparta rejecting traditional Greek customs regarding women

  -Self sufficiency less important.ThehistorianXenephonsays about Greeks:´How, then, can they expect that girls raised like this (wool-working) will bear strong children´
• What is some evidence showing the importance of strength in Spartan women?

  What does this suggest?

  -thefirst woman to be a victor at the Olympic gameswas a Spartan namedCynisca-that Cynisca was able to enter the games openly, representing her city, is clear evidence that theSpartans values physical prowess in their women
• Describe the relationship between boys and girls in Sparta?

  How did Spartan betrothals occur?

  What age did the girl get betrothed?

  -In Sparta, unlike in Athens,young men and women had plenty of opportunities to interact-Boys and girls would have exercised in full view of each other. Girls were actively encouraged tohecklethe boys

  -The girl´s parents would probably have arranged the marriage

  -Spartan girls did not marry until their late teens or early twenties.
• Why did spartan girls marry at a later age?


  Becauseolder girlswere thought to producestronger childrenand were more likely tosurvive childbirth
• Evidence for how modesty was less valued in Sparta

  -A metal figurinedepicts a spartan girl with exposed thighs and immodest clothing

  -TheAthenian playwright,Euripides, criticises Spartan women´smoralsandmodesty:´They go out of the house withbare thighsandloose clothestowrestleand run races withyoung men-intolerable behaviour´
• Why was there no dowry in Spartan betrothals?

  There was no financial aspect to Spartan marriages as themain purpose was to produce strong and healthy children for the state