Spartan Women

In Archaic and Classical Greece (800 to 500, and 500 to 330 B.C.E), there was but one place in the Greek world where women were approximately equal to men: Sparta. Girls were provided with an education that, intellectually, was at least equivalent to that of boys. In contrast to Athens, where girls were "given in marriage" by age 15 by their male guardians to someone at least twice their age, Spartan women had a voice -- a stong one -- in agreeing to the man they would marry. Certainly life was difficult in those times, but women engaged in athletics, hunted in the mountains, and managed the family property when their husbands were away on frequent and extended military duty. Battle deaths for Spartan soldiers were so high in the Fifth and Fourth Centuries that from one-third to 40 percent of property in Sparta was owned by women. Sarah Pomeroy is a leading scholar of the topic and the period, her book is the leader in this field, and I was delighted to receive a copy of it promptly and at a fair price. I recommend it most highly.

Some books just seem to repeat the same material. I understand that alot of what the subjects were intertwined but try to lessen the amount of times you repeat the same thing. Overall, I think it is a good thing to have a book on just Spartan women, see how they were with the hypermasculine society.

Much has been written on Sparta, in both contemporary history ( The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece , Sparta ), and popular historical fiction ( 300 , Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae .) While women are addressed ancillarily in these works, little has been written about them specifically. Pomeroy does a magnificent job in righting this. There is a dearth of primary sources on Sparta in particular, let alone women in ancient Sparta. ( The Histories, Revised (Penguin Classics) devotes some attention, although his observations are questionable, Lysistrata (Dover Thrift Editions) is considered somewhat prejudicial; The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) discusses much of early Spartan history, but demonstrates a typcial Greek attitude to women by its absence; On Sparta (Penguin Classics) and PLUTARCH: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans (Complete and Unabridged) are the most referenced.) Using these sources, as well as art and sociological metrics, Pomeroy writes as complete and detailed a history of women in ancient Sparta as one is likely to find. To the ancient Greeks, Spartan women were an analomy: they were educated equally to men, they were encouraged to speak up, they had property rights. As a result, many ancient sources were prejudicial in their treatment of them. Pomeroy places these differences within the broader Spartan social context, arguing that given Spartan culture (one that as a matter of state policy subverted individual wants to those of the collective and the state), the treatment of and attitude towards women not only makes sense, but is to be admired. Her discussion of the education of Spartan women and the social roles of wife and mother were the strongest chapters in the book. Her discussion of elite and working-class women (Spartan, Helot and perioikoi) was not as tightly supported. For those interested in classical history or women's history, I highly recommend this work.

Pomeroy does a fantastic job in this book. The Spartan civilization is interesting but they did not leave a lot behind for us to really know about them. Pomeroy organizes the sources and does a fantastic job focusing in on one subject. Having written several books, I know what it takes to research and this subject HAD to be difficult to research so kudos to her for that. As for the content and subject matter, spectacular. I now have a better understanding of the Spartan women, and its shockingly different than the rest of Greece.

Pomeroy is my absolute favorite historian. Her texts are easy to read and understand, they’re very interesting, and very thorough. I own almost all of her books, but Spartan Women is my favorite.

While historians in antique and modern times alike have perhaps overemphasized the "alien" elements of Sparta's culture, it is clear that this Greek city-state was in many respects genuinely different from her contemporaries. Uniquely for her time, she subordinated the privileges of her citizens to the greater good of the State. In a day when mass education at public expense was elsewhere not even considered in theory, Sparta enlisted all her children in a state-run school until well past present-day high school graduation age. An egalitarian and collectivist ethos was consciously fostered, along with patriotism and civic responsibility. Every male citizen was expected to be a soldier first and foremost, putting the public welfare above his own. Only reservists held the right to vote, and only veterans of long military service could be elected to the Spartan Senate. This military republic, instituted before the more liberal democracy of Athens saw the light of day and in an age when primitive monarchy and a largely night-watchman state were otherwise the norm, has been differently assessed in different times and places. Many modern observers have found a hint of fascism in Sparta's intensely nationalist and "militarist" civic-duty ethic. But in Antiquity her efficient and "idealistic" system inspired much admiration throughout the Hellenic world and beyond. Plato based his utopian Republic in large measure on Sparta's constitution, which was also praised by such intellectuals as Critias and Xenophon. Aristotle, on the other hand, perhaps the greatest Greek philosopher of all, was harshly critical of Sparta. But his criticisms were not the ones we would expect from present-day liberals: That Sparta was militaristic, denied human rights, was "racist" against non-Greeks or the like. Aristotle approved of all that. What annoyed him was rather that the Spartans did not properly control their women: They owned property, spoke freely in public and occasionally even had a say in politics! To give context to such a statement, we must note the conditions elsewhere among the Grecians. There, and (so it seems) particularly in democratic Athens, women played a very limited role in polite society. The typical Athenian citizeness married young, had essentially no economic rights and did not participate in politics. A proper wife was expected to stay indoors, and modestly remain out of sight if her husband entertained guests; only poor women and female slaves were generally seen outside the home. As the historian Thucydides wrote, the greatest praise a woman could earn was if she was never mentioned, whether for good deeds or evil. It goes without saying that education for women was largely unheard of. In short, this was a highly "patriarchal" society, which some have compared to the Islamic cultures of our day. Sparta was very different, in that her women were afforded an important role in public and economic life, and generally more highly regarded than was the norm in Hellenic society. Precisely how much so and in what ways is the subject of the present book. Sarah Pomeroy has previously written on "Women in Classical Antiquity" (1975); here she concerns herself exclusively with the Spartanesses. Unfortunately, the surviving sources on Sparta are limited, leaving the historian less to work with than we might have hoped for. On the other hand, this means that nearly all the ones relevant to this study's subject can be addressed in one book. (An appendix provides a useful introduction for beginners to the ancient sources in question.) Thus, Pomeroy's research is good, but the available hard facts must of necessity be supplemented with a good deal of guesswork to provide anything like a complete picture. While I agree with many of Pomeroy's deductions, some appear in my eyes a little too speculative. It happens more than once that she seizes upon what I would consider a very tenuous piece of evidence and extrapolates an elaborate argument from it; on these occasions, one might prefer a more cautious approach. Nevertheless, taken altogether her image of the Spartan woman is a largely sound and compelling one. Readers not already familiar with Sparta may be surprised at a system that seems remarkably "modern" in many respects, yet was based on fundamentally anti-liberal principles. Spartan girls as well as boys were educated, with their curriculum including music, poetry, literature, philosophy and perhaps a little mathematics, as well as gymnastics and sports. Unlike the men, they did not receive military training, although they took part in martial sports such as javelin-throwing and wrestling; Plutarch also enigmatically writes that part of their training was purposed to make them able to "defend themselves, their children, and their country" (p18). (Perhaps this would refer to self-defense against criminals or insurgents?) Spartan law also stipulated that they should marry later than was common elsewhere in ancient Greece, apparently no earlier than around age twenty. Pomeroy points out that as with the boys, this education was not primarily intended for the girls' own benefit, but to make them better, healthier and more productive citizenesses of the Spartan state. But inevitably, it improved their individual lives as well. As adults, they had use for their learning as responsible members of society. In Sparta, where many men were on extended regular military deployment, it was expected of women to take a larger part in the day-to-day management of family businesses and property. (Aristotle complained that women effectively "ruled" Sparta and controlled its wealth, but this would seem a polemical exaggeration. In all likelihood ultimate authority in the family still rested with the husband; but Spartan marriages were probably rather more "complementarian" than was the fashion elsewhere among the Hellenes.) Nor were women wholly without a voice in public affairs. Historians tell of women who were admitted to the kings' councils. Examples of woman poets and even philosophers are also known, though how common they were is impossible to tell. An interesting observation Pomeroy makes is that Sparta was famous in Antiquity for the beauty of her women. Going by modern stereotypes, we would expect that Sparta's relatively "empowered" women should be caricatured as mannish and unattractive -- Especially as Sparta's austere laws banned cosmetics, perfume and luxurious dress and jewelry. Yet the exact opposite was the case: Spartanesses were described as tall, blonde and beautiful, or by hostile writers as dangerously seductive. Pomeroy believes that this stereotype carries an echo of actual impressions: Their healthier style of living and more intellectual culture would, on average, have made them more attractive companions than the typical woman of, for example, Athens, whose life and opportunities were much more limited. An interesting thesis, if obviously one that is necessarily difficult to test. * * * * * In all, "Spartan Women" provides an intriguing attempt at reconstructing the life of women in the unique society that was ancient Sparta. I would recommend Pomeroy's study to all who take an interest in this society; many will probably, like myself, disagree with her on some points, but still by and large approve of her general conclusions. And if nothing else, it provides an excellent guide to the primary sources, so the student can access these and make up his own mind.

I am only writing about the shipping and handling of the product here. I am not sure of the contents of the book since I haven't read it yet, but I expect to enjoy it nevertheless. The shipping was great. It came in at a timely manner and the book was in working order. The book did not seem to be damaged in any way and it looked exactly like it was described when it came time to purchase it. Very much pleased.

This is a very easy read and has fleshed out my knowledge of yet more women in the ancient world. This one is a keeper.

very interesting book...sadly many things are not explained and is probably meant for professionals working in the field of anceint greece .

Bellissimo libro, con ricca bibliografia di nicchia su di un argomento sul quale si sa poco o niente. Le donne spartane si dimostrano dedite alle attivita' fisiche (corsa, lancio del giavellotto, corse di carri), alfabetizzate e con un ruolo sociale valorizzato, ben piu' delle donne delle altre citta'-stato e di Atene in particolare. Praticano la poliandria, in accordo con i loro mariti, per assicurare opliti alla citta'...e molto altro, che consente di comprendere meglio anche vita e vicende delle colonie spartane (Taranto, ad esempio). Imperdibile.

A much overlooked population in ancient Greece. Appropriate treatment with references for all relevant topics.