Greek Women Comparative Essay

In Ancient Greece, there were two important periods that were most prominent. Athens during the 5th century B.C.E. was one of them and the Hellenistic period was the other. The golden period of Athens (5th century B.C.E) was one of the greatest periods of all although; it was a low point for women. The period in which Alexander, the great spread the Greek culture throughout the nation was called the Hellenistic age.

During the golden age of Athens and the Hellenistic period (4th Ð'- 1st century B.C.E.) women's rights varied drastically. There were a whole lot of differences and some similarities between women in these two periods. Athenian women were limited to very poor standards of education than the Hellenistic women. Though women were not treated equally, both these periods gave great importance to female gods. Another difference is that women were not given political rights in Athens but the Hellenistic women were given some political rights.

Women in Athens were given very poor standards of education. They were educated only with the consent of their father. They learnt household jobs and probably how to read. The Hellenistic women were more educated. Hipparchia, one of the first female Cynical philosophers received an education based on rudimentary mathematics, music, literature, and of physical education. The reason why I think women had limited education is that they were considered inferior to men and never given the authority or the opportunity to learn.

Although women were not treated equally, both these periods gave much importance to female gods. They played an important role in the lives of the Athenians. Athens was named after their patron god Athena who was the most significant goddess of worship. Hellenistic people also worshipped female gods such as Isis, Athena and Aphrodite.

Women were not given political rights in Athens during 5th century B.C.E. They could neither vote nor be leaders in the government; they were not allowed on juries nor as judges. It is even questionable whether they could testify in court. But during Hellenistic age, more political rights were given to women. Phile of Priene became the first women to become a magistrate and to construct a reservoir and an aqueduct. Her position as a magistrate was awarded to her probably because she contributed to the public works out of her private funds.

Most Athenians were very narrow minded as depicted by the