HIST/WMST 4950: Women in the Ancient Greece
In our study of ancient Greece, we will examine scholarly theories on the evidence for early matriarchies in Greece. Some scholars see evidence in Greek drama for a transition from matriarchies to patriarchies. This is especially true of the story of Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, Agememnon, and Orestes.
In the links below, you may explore famous women writers, dramas that focus on women, ancient Greek philosophical views of women, and the legal status of women in the ancient world.
The Sappho Page explore poetry by a woman for women. Sappho ran a finishing school for girls. For what activities and roles did the school prepare young girls? Few fragments remain of Sappho's writing. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church condemned her works. Why?
Sappho's Choral Music from Women's Early Music Who sang Sappho's songs?
Sappho from Other Women's Voices
Anyte of Tegea from Other Women's Voices
Oxford University Classical Drama Society: Medea explore the woman as foreigner/outsider, as rejected lover, and as avenger.
Greek Theater from theatrehistory.com there are some very useful articles here on Medea, Lysistrata, the Oresteia, and other important works.
Lysistrata by Aristophanes. explore Greek comic humor about women. Through humor, the play reveals underlying attitudes about women's sexuality and their behavior in marriage, as well as their traditional household occupations. While it reveals limited roles for women in politics, it also suggests that women may be able to accomplish more than they were traditionally allowed to accomplish. See also the versions here and the Perseus version here.
Commentary on Lysistrata from Electronic Antiquities
Commentary on Lysistrata from the Classics Technology Center
Online Literary Criticism Collection: Sites about Lysistrata
Greek Comedy in Performance wonderful site with MPEG movies illustrating Greek masks.
The Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama from Oxford University
Links on the Oresteia How can one study the role of women without the Oresteia? Was it Agememnon who committed the greatest crime in sacrificing Iphigenia; Clytemnestra, who killed her own husband in revenge; or Orestes, who took his own mother's life? The answer of Athena and Apollo devalues the maternal line, and the moral implications of the gods' answer are a commentary on the relative worth of women.
The Classics Pages. Very nice collection of informative articles on various aspects of Greek and Roman culture. Particularly interesting for the study of Greek culture are the pages on Sappho, The Iliad, the Odyssey, Euripides, Greek Art, Medea , Sophocles, the Oresteia, and Plato.
Women's Life in Greece and Rome
Diotima here you will find a wide array of articles and other resources on gender in ancient Greece. The place to start on the web for gender and feminist studies.
Comical View of Women in Ancient Athens from the Cartoon History of the Universe
Homer wonderful site with discussions of Helen of Troy in art, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Ah yes, Helen. What does the Iliad reveal about Bronze Age Greek attitudes toward women? And as Helen a willing participant or did Paris rape and abduct her? Just how much did she enjoy watching Paris and Menelaus fight over her? :) In your quest to answer these quesitons, be sure to explore "Helen of Troy in Art" through this site.
Mortal Women of the Trojan War
The Iliad from the Classics Page; the Iliad, from Internet Classics Archive Women as booty. Pay special attention to the story of Breiseis and Chryseis, not to mention Helen.
And, speaking of Helen, take a look at Conflicting Views of Helen of Troy by Katie Olesker.
Helen of Troy great set of links. Some of the inks are dead, but the rest are worth pursuing.
Helen by Euripides from the Internet Classics Archive
The Odyssey from the Classics Page and from The Internet Classics Archive enjoy the behavior of the female deities! Compare and contrast the standards for Odysseues with those for Penelope!
- Mythology Home Page feminist readings of Greek myth argue that when Zeus gave birth to Athena without the benefit of a woman, he appropriated even the woman's reproductive capacity. How can we link this to our discussions early in the course of the reification of women through their reproductive capacity? Also, notice the link between the birth of Athena and the gods' judgment of Orestes in The Furies, the last play of the Oresteia.
Plato and his Dialogues in Plato's Republic, he argued that guardian women should be given the same education and treatment as males. Compare Plato's views of women to those of Aristotle.
Aristotle on Women from the Ancient History Sourcebook
Aristotle: On a Good Wife, from Oikonomikos, c. 330 BCE from the Ancient History Sourcebook
Extracts from Aristotle on women, slavery, and the state For Aristotle, women had "deliberative faculties," but had no authority. He applied his ideas on women to slaves as well.
Ancient Greek Women's Laments from Women's Early Music
Greek Philosophy on the Inferiority of Women from Women Priests
The Ancient Greek World: Women's Life Exhibit from the University of Pennsylvania
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Above: Bust of Nefertiti from the Berlin Museum Below: Bust of Cleopatra |
