Women In Ancient Greece Essay

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“But how can women achieve anything so grand or noble?” Ancient Greek history was often written by the men that had claimed victory in battle. The women, slaves, and foreigners of Ancient Greece often get forgotten in all the blood, glory, and fame. The legacy of the women, slaves, and foreigners can be seen through the eyes of Greek society by looking closely at some of the materials from Ancient Greece.
The role of women in Ancient Greece is different than what we think of today in America. Women in Ancient Greece were thought of as second class citizens. Some did not even get to be citizens. They were not allowed to participate in anything in public unless it was a religious ritual. In the Bacchae, the women were not normal because they …show more content…

The women of Ancient Greece could possess some of these qualities of the men in Greece. In the play Lysistrata, the women came up with a plot to not allow themselves to have sex with their husbands until the Athenians and Spartans make peace. This can be seen as a symbol of wisdom. It can also be seen as honor because they actually went through with the plot and kept their honor throughout the play. The masculinity of women in the ancient world comes into question in the writings of Xenophon. These writings say that the male body is more masculine because it has more strength than the women of Ancient Greece. What is the truth to this question? It is a matter of opinion because historians have to either look at this subjectively or objectively. If historians look at what the Greeks thought were traits of masculinity, then the women in Greece would not have the same masculine qualities as men. If historians look subjectively at the women of Greece and compare it to what historians think of being masculine, then the women could attribute masculine qualities. It’s a matter of looking through a different set of lenses. In Lysistrata, there was a conversation going on about how men going to the market in all of their armor. When confronted with the situation, the magistrate said, “Of course; that’s what a brave man should do.” Lysistrata answered back that going …show more content…

The women in Athens could participate in public religion along with the men and slaves. The focus on Athenian religion was Athena, a goddess. This was different from what the Spartans thought was important. The Spartans thought that bear strong male warriors was important. The Athenians worshiped a woman god. Even though the women in Athens could participate in public religion, they also could not participate in certain things. They could not drink wine like the women in Sparta. Women were also not allowed to participate in politics. Athens believed that the main role of Athens was not necessarily birth, but

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