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.
During the early days of Rome, daughters “had equal rights with sons to a share of the family property” (Rawson, 18) when the father died. Despite #GuardianshipLaws passed in #169BC, Roman women managed to acquire property and wealth.
While women were not allowed to hold political offices (only religious positions), some women, like the #VestalVirgins, were exempt from #guardianship laws.
The two most common forms of Roman marriages were either one where a woman remained under her father’s control, and the other where the woman was under her husband’s control.
Most first marriages were arranged by the father of the bride and groom. There were also #dowries, that were usually “reclaimable by the wife” (Rawson, 19) in the event of #divorce.
If a woman were widowed, she was expected to not remarry for “ten months” (Rawson, 31), most likely to ensure #paternity if the widow were pregnant.
A Roman man could divorce his wife for a number of reasons, including “adulterous behavior” (Rawson, 33). However, it seems that infidelity on the husband’s part was not grounds for divorce.
Despite these oppressive traditions, it was possible for a Roman woman to have independence from both her father’s and her husband’s control: ius liberorum allowed “freeborn” (Rawson, 19) women to achieve “financial independence by bearing three children” (Rawson, 19).
However these children would be considered the property of their father.
While a married #Roman woman was focused on the “functioning of complex Roman households” (Nagle, 103), women who had achieved independence could own and manage their own “property just like males” (Rawson, 84).
Women could also “apprentice” (Lefkowitz, 208) in certain occupations, become entertainers or prostitutes, or serve as priestesses – however, “lucrative trades (armaments, books, animals)” (Lefkowitz, 219) were dominated by men.
“Sacred service roles” (Connelly, 31) such as Cult #Priestesses a way for a woman to be something other than just a wife and mother, but those positions were usually reserved for those from “prominent families” (Connelly, 31).
Young women could become #Vestals, married women could be priestesses (though those positions were usually inherited – Connelly 42), and #postmenopausal women also held positions of prominence (Connelly, 43).
An ancient priesthood of #Hera at Olympia involved “sixteen elderly women” (Connelly, 45), based on a “board of #FemaleElders once chosen from sixteen cities” (Connelly, 45) who negotiated “#peace between two cities’ (Connelly, 45) who had been at war.
“Priestesses seem to have initiated and negotiated #laws, #amendments, and penalties for transgressions” (Connelly, 214). Some priestesses wielded enormous influence: the Pythia of Delphi “could move scores of people to action” (Connelly, 219), and a #Pythia “is credited with having provided #Lykourgos with the #Spartan system of government”.
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.