🪔 For #EpigraphyTuesday: Military diploma of a Lycian sailor of the Miseno fleet, Sextus Memmius Clearchi. Dated to 16 November 140 AD, it attests to the granting of Roman citizenship to a Lycian sailor after 26 years of service in the imperial fleet. 📸 me
So, I had to talk about #Sparta! A warrior society focused on war, women had more rights than their #Athenian counterparts -- and were encouraged to be physically fit and prepared to fight to defend their homeland.
Sparta
Unlike their Greek counterparts, the women of Sparta had a lot more freedom and status. They were educated, since they would be in charge of keeping the homeland running smoothly while the men were at war – but they were also strong and able to defend themselves and their homeland.
Spartan men and women lived in separate quarters – even while married. Married couples would leave their respective quarters to procreate, and Spartan wives were required to have short hair and sometimes wore men’s clothing.
Amongst married couples, the Spartans were relatively #polyamorous, and women were not punished for infidelity.
Young women from #Patrician-only families (later expanded to #Plebian families) were chosen to serve as Vestals. They had to remain celibate for 30 years, but after their service, were free to marry. Unlike most Roman women, they “were free to own property, make a will, and #vote.”
They were given the responsibility of maintaining #Vesta’s #SacredFire, “collecting water from a #SacredSpring, preparation of food used in rituals and caring for sacred objects in the temple's sanctuary.”
They made a special flour, “mola salsa,” that was “sprinkled on all public offerings” to the gods. They were also in charge of the safekeeping of wills and testaments of prominent people, such as Casear and
Marc Antony (Connelly, 219).
Something I would love to know more about are the #ElusinianMysteries. But thanks to the cult's secrecy (and #Christianity), we may never know all the details...
Elusinian Mysteries
There were two Eleusinian rites – the Lesser One, and the Greater One. While the details of these rites were a carefully guarded secret, what is known is that the Greater Rite took place over many days, involved #music and #dancing, #sacrifices of grain and a bull, #ritual purification in a river, and the consumption of a #SacredBeverage that was believed to be #hallucinogenic.
The beverage, known as #kykeon, was made from #barley, #pennyroyal, and other ingredients.