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.
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.
[Thread] So, the following is from a presentation I gave at a Women and Gender Studies class I took in 2017 (as a Classics Major). I thought it was important to post here -- especially in this day and age where women's reproductive rights are being threatened. In some ways, we've taken a step backward as time has gone on...
Like many things in life, there’s the art and then there’s the phallus drawings. I guess we can safely appreciate this gesture that’s near Hadrian’s wall as either one or the other 😅
This depiction of praetorians comes from the Arch of Claudius celebrating his invasion of Britain. The arch has not survived, but this panel suggests the artistry used to enhance the sense of military glory…
Good piece on these mysterious Roman dodecahedrons. More than 100 of these have been found around Europe and no one really knows what they were used for. More tests are being done on them. They're metal, and have survived undamaged for over 1700 years 🤯
We sit down with the fabulous @bretdevereaux to learn more about the evidence (and theories) when it comes to the military in the early phases of Rome’s history.
🪔 This beautiful mosaic was found in 1786 at Saint-Colombe, near modern Vienne in France. Dated to the end of the 2nd c. AD, its vivid colors were obtained thanks to the use of the glass paste. It is now at the St-Romain-en-Gal museum. 📸 Own pic. #romanarchaeology#archaeology#antiquity#ancientart#ancientrome#ancienthistory#antiquity @archaeodons@histodons @antiquidons
Detail from a larger mosaic showing Bacchus. This delightful depiction has the god of wine and debauchery looking slightly uncertain about things, which might be an indication of how the party life is going (but also, he looks like how I feel about Mondays…).
This beautiful flask is so delightful that it would not be out of place in the home today. At seven centimetres high, it would have been used to hold small quantities, possibly ointment.
The Romans are faced with THREE enemies in 408 BCE. The Antiates, Volscii and Aequii are ganging up on them, so it's time for a dictator! But not everyone is thrilled with this move...
The monument of Eurysaces the baker offers us a beautiful insight into the funerary displays possible in the late Republic/early principate while also offering a great cycle of friezes exploring the making of baked goods in ancient Rome.
Delicious!
The excellent illustration allows you to see more clearly all the phases of getting the bread made from the extant sides of the monument.
This she-wolf with the twins Romulus and Remus is a striking black and white portrait of the family that would go on to have quite some dramas… not least of all being that adoptive mum seems to have quite sharp teeth!
Far be it from us to suggest you visit Pompeii to go on an exploratory phallus-finding mission… but we certainly wouldn’t try to dissuade you either. Just look at that phallus framed by other phalluses! Must be good fortune 🥳