Women and education Flashcards
(37 cards)
What does the bronze figure of a Spartan tell us (520-500BC)?
Women would run and dance, wearing exposing clothes - “thigh flashers”.
Found in balkans (prizrem, Kosovo) so shows Spartans traded and exported as it is of clear laconic design
Heraklides, pontikos- 2.8?
Eastern Greek philosopher writing c. 350 BC (later than our period).
States that adornment (long hair gold/silver jewellery) was banned - this counters Alkman’s poetry with “Lydian headbands”
How does lysistrata (411BC) portray Spartan women?
Stereotypically fit, muscular and strong - also well endowed; Spartan mirage.
Although is a satirical comedy so it could be a humorous stereotype; but stereotypes are usually well based in fact.
Influenced by “male gaze” fantasy image of over-sexualisation on account of lusting writers.
What does Xen lac pol 1 indicate about Spartan women’s exceptional rights?
One of smallest populations in Greece yet one of most powerful by adoption of opposite institutions, headstrong individuality. Eg. In most states, women expected to be neither seen or heard, eat little, abstain , be weak and weave - in Sparta, they had freedom to drink, exercise and not work - “there are enough female slaves to produce clothing”.
State idea that strong women produced strong children - trained for childbirth by wrestling, running etc.
State imposed eugenics - made it disgraceful for men to be seen leaving a woman’s room (limiting intercourse, making occasional sex more effective), dictated that men should marry a slightly younger (most fertile) woman when at peak physicality - better children; convention and law dictated that if an older man married a young woman, he should bring in a stud for strong children, raised as his own. Legally, a man was entitled to impregnate a woman if he convinced her husband first - this resulted in double households which women liked because they could run two houses and men liked because they could bring their sons brothers of equal social standing and quality at no financial burden.
Procreation was for the benefit of the state, hence it was heavily involved - basis for platos laws
What did Aristotle say regarding Spartan women?
Freedom for women was dangerous; they could act wantonly when men were disciplined, resulting in uselessness in battle and love of luxury.
With warlike people, men made war, women controlled sex and therefore the men and wars so Sparta was a gynocracy - cites odyssey (ares affair with Aphrodite).
Their freedom arose due to men always being away on campaign, on return when Lyk tried to bring them under men’s rules they resisted - due to learned love of money.
What does Plut. Lyk. 14 say about girls upbringing?
Aristotle was wrong, Lyks laws about births/marriages/discipline were not failed due to women’s love of money but fell through because men were always away so tended to monneycoddle them.
Lyk took girls education seriously - pre puberty physical training and toughness (more prepared for childbirth), encouraged to exercise and dance naked at festivals with men watching.
They would heckle (praise/abuse) competitors at games which made men preform better; there was no vulgarity about their nakedness - made men more innocent and emphasised physical supremacy.
Lyk also believed this allowed them to share courage and heroism values with men; according to foreigners, Spartans were tho only women to control their men.
See sayings of Spartan women.
What does Plut. lyk 15 tell us about men’s marrige conventions?
men were permitted to watch women exercise naked; which boosted libido (but not intelligence) this inspired them to marry. another prompt was that in midwinter, bachelors would be paraded naked, singing, around the agora as punishmeent for not marrying and producing offspring - they were also baned from spectating at the gymnopaedia. older unmarried men did not gain any respect from young men, regardless of their social/military status (eg. Dekyrillas being denied a seat).
older bachelors were usually homosexual or poor.
what does plut. lyk 15 tell us about spartan wedding rituals?
wives are “kidnapped” at peak fertility age, where bridesmaids will shave their heads, dress them in a boys tunic and lay them on straw in a dark room (so men didnt get scared after having sex with boys all their life). groom carries wife to bed (had to be sober), after a short time he returns to barracks to sleep. this carries on long after wedding night.
many men fathered children without seing their wives in daylight. the covertness made them more effective soldiers, limited sex, increased modesty and restraint and increased potency of procreation - “would be more excited” if didnt see each other often.
what does plut. lyk 15 tell us about polyogamy in sparta?
it was acceptable for older men to allow younger men to insemminate their wife, he would adopt the children. it didnt matter who kids belonbed to as they were all property of state so as long as they were all strong and prime specimines it was fine. simply “like a farmer planting seed in productive soil”. the offspring would inherit aristocratic linneage - presumably this was a rich people thing not an average person thing.
what does plut. lyk 15 tell us about eugenics in sparta?
since kids property of state, should be of strongest stock. other states want best animals so selectively breed but refuse to let women have many partners - instead confined to just one inadequite man sometimes, produces week children. lyk thought to get best kids, special consideration was better than random selection.
women in sparta weren’t promiscuous - was all for good of state and coordinated by men. no such thing as adultery in sparta
what does plato protagoras 342d tell us about women and education?
plato writes around 380 bc, says that women and men were advocates of education - emplying it is a cornerstone and responsibility of all in state
what does plut lyk 16.1 - 3 tell us about rules on spartan infants?
when born, kids taken to Lesche, assesed by elders, if they decided child was weak/ deformed, would be taken to chasm off mt. taygatos (apothetai) and thrown off. site has been found by archaeologists and evidence aligns. not weeding out weak from strong deemed bad for child and state.
what does plut lyk 16.1 - 3 tell us about rules on spartan child rearing?
children were not allowed to drink water, only wine, to ensure they were tough enough (supposed to strengthen them?) - were not given swaddling bands so they could physically develop freely and no fears or tantrums were tolerated (fussy eaters, fears of dark, tantrums were ignored until they stopped) foreign aristocrats often bought spartan wetnurses for their children to strengthen them (eg. Alciabiades).
what does xen lac pol 2 tell us about who taught boys in greece?
in the rest of greece, kids were handed over to paidagogos asap, then sent to school to learn how to read, write, about the arts and gymnastics also wore shoes and ate what theywanted. lyk thought this made them soft so put boys under command of a boyherd (paidonomos - older boy) who demanded their attendance, supervised and punished them. there was also a team of young men with whips (hebontes) who could also discipline.
what does xen lac pol 2 tell us about conditions of the education system in sparta?
they were given no shoes, one cloak and minimal rations in order to make them better soldiers by being used to hunger, better climbers and generally more hardened to external conditions.
what values does xen lac pol 2 say are embedded in the spartan agoge?
focussed on making them good soldeiers. stealing is encouraged to supplement minimal healthy rations (stopped getting fat, improved obedience when hungry, kept slim to grow taller and stopped lust for luxuries - would eat anything) although they would be beat if they ere caught. this made them more respectful to authority and tougher; as well as teaching them covert ops.
everything encourages strength, efficiency, toughness, physical might, discipline and restraint and modesty.
what does xen lac pol 2 detail the cheese heist as?
boys forced to steal cheese from the alter of artemis orthia while other boys whipped them - this taught them that pain was required for glory and plenty
what does xen lac pol 2 say about supervision over boys?
always needed to be supervised so nay citizen had right to punish in any way they saw fit in absence of a boyherd or another adult theis produced a huge respect for elders and authority and influenced feelings of inadequiteness and hence modesty
What does plut. Live of ageisalaios say about Spartan kings education?
Future kings are exempt from the “man breaking” agoge yet ageiselaos went through it and as such is considered a better king
What happened to boys aged 7 according to plut. Lyk. 16.4?
Weren’t allowed to be schooled by a slave or by fathers so had to be entered into agoge- divided into herds with the best boy set as the leader and disciplinarian. Men would always watch over them as with loco parentis
Plut. Lyk. 16.4 on curriculum contents?
Reading and writing minimal, centred around immediate obedience, pain endurance and military. Physical exercise increased with age, had head shaved, walked barefoot and exercised naked
When does plut. Lyk. 16 suggest boys got first cloak? How did they live?
First cloak at 12, lived extremely harshly, forbidden to bathe often, one cloak Per year, slept on pallet beds with reads In packs for warmth
How does Sparta differ from other states in lac. Pol. 3 concerning older teenagers?
When most cities free them from education, Lyk. Noted they misbehaved and became arrogant and troublesome to themselves and others so he kept them occupied constantly. This kept them from disgrace
How does lac pol 16.4 show Spartan youths were forced to have decency and decorum?
Remains virtually silent always, kept hands under cloak with eyes on ground - showed that in matters of decorum males still stronger than females
