Athens VS Sparta: Woman and Slaves

I studied Athens and Sparta. Sparta and Athens were different from the beginning because they were isolated from one another, so ideas werent spread. Athens made time to flourish in the arts, writing and philosophy. Sparta, a military based state, mainly focused on their army, and not the finer things in life. As a result, Athens and Sparta treated their woman and slaves differently. Athenian woman were kept in what was called Oriental Seclusion1. They had separate rooms from men and were pushed to the back of the house. But Athenian woman had the greatest influence on the home2. They would spin, weave, and supervise the slaves. They would educate their sons until they were 6 or 7 and ready for school, and teach their daughters until they were 15 and ready to be married.3 Basically, the role of an Athenian woman in the ancient world was to have children.4 Athenian women couldnt vote or attend the Assembly5 because they werent citizens. Only men were citizens.
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1. "How Athenian Women Were Secluded." http://www.womenintheancientworld.com.

N.p., n.d. Web. 22 March 2012.

2. Frey, Wendy. History Alive: The Ancient World. Palo Alto, California: Teachers'

Curriculum Institute, 2004. 3. Ibid.

4. Crenna, Richard, perf. Ancient Civilizations: Athens and Ancient Greece. Questar, Film.

<www.questar1.com>.
5. Frey, Wendy. History Alive: The Ancient World. Palo Alto, California: Teachers'

Curriculum Institute, 2004

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When the time came for an Athenian girl to get married, she didnt get to choose her husband. Instead, her father chose the groom for her. Friends and family gathered at the brides home to celebrate the union of husband and wife. After sundown, the bride, groom, and the grooms best friend would go to the couples new home. There, the bride was welcomed and escorted by her mother-in-law to the hearth, the focal point of a Greek home.6 Spartan woman were treated differently. They had a good education and sometimes trained in art and athletics, unlike Athenian women who were primarily trained in household duties and jobs. Women in Sparta were allowed to own land in their name, and were encouraged to develop their intellect.7 Women in Sparta married at a later age than their counterparts in Athens.8 They were also supposed to have strong, healthy children like Athenian woman, but they were also supposed to be strong and healthy, too. Since Sparta was a military-based city-state9, the
5

"Marriage In Ancient Athens." http://www.womenintheancientworld.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar 2012. 2012.

7. "Women in Sparta" http://www.womenintheancientworld.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar

8. Ibid.
9. Blattner, Don. World Civilizations and Cultures. New York City, New York: Mark

Twain Media, Inc. , 2009. 40-43.

woman of the house was supposed to take care of her husbands estate and protect it from enemy soldiers. They could also speak and talk with men in public, unlike Athenian woman. As you can see, Spartan woman had more rights than Athenian woman had. Slaves also had different rights. Athenian slaves were trained in jobs that took high skill. Some became tutors while others worked on farms or in factories. Unlucky slaves worked in the silver mines, where they worked for 10 hours a day.10 They were whipped if they stopped to rest and had little air to breathe. Spartan slaves, called helots, outnumbered the Spartan population of citizens. They did all of the agricultural work and would give half of their crops to their rich citizen masters. Sometimes, the Spartan government declared war on the helots so they could legally kill any slaves they thought would rebel.11 Despite this misery, the helots had some rights, like keeping half of the crops they grew, marry whenever and whomever they pleased, pass their name on to their children, and, if they amassed and saved a lot of money, buy their freedom. 12 As you can see, Spartan woman and slaves had more rights than Athenian woman and slaves. Athenian woman were pushed to the back of the house and away from the outside world, while Spartan woman were able to go outside and in public. Athenian slaves had no rights and worked in skillful job positions, while Spartan helots had a few basic but satisfying rights. Overall, Ive

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12

Frey, Wendy. History Alive: The Ancient World. Palo Alto, California: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2004. Ibid. Ibid.

11. 12.

got to give it to Sparta; they treated their woman and slaves better.

Annotated Bibliography
Blattner, Don. World Civilizations and Cultures. New York City, New York: Mark Twain Media, Inc. , 2009. 40-43. I used this source to learn more on ancient Sparta. Frey, Wendy. History Alive: The Ancient World. Palo Alto, California: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2004. I used this source to learn about Athenian and Spartan women and slaves. "How Athenian Women Were Secluded." http://www.womenintheancientworld.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 March 2012. I used this source to learn about Oriental Seclusion and how Athenian women were pushed to the back of the house. "Marriage In Ancient Athens." http://www.womenintheancientworld.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar 2012. I used this source to learn how girls were married in ancient Athens. "Women in Sparta." http://www.womenintheancientworld.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar 2012. I used this source to learn about women in Sparta and how they differ from Athenian women. Crenna, Richard, perf. Ancient Civilizations: Athens and Ancient Greece. Questar, Film. <www.questar1.com>. I used this source to learn the daily lives and customs of Athenian women.