Spartan Women

Xenophon tells us that Women had a well-defined role in Spartan society. Although they tended to have little part in political matters, nor did their husbands, until an old age, something that was rare in the ancient world.

As both Spartan men and women were suppressed politically to a degree, it could be argued that both are closer and more equal. Spartan women, according to Xenophon, mainly spent their time "exercising", they did this to produce healthy children, or bringing up the children (boys until the age of seven).

Unique to Sparta, is the fact that Men up until the age of citizenship, lived in barracks with their fellows. This meant that his wife would be managing the estate that he owned. As helots were plentiful, no menial tasks needed to be endured by the Spartan women. By all accounts they seemed to be prosperous, landed and wealthy.

Indeed, once a woman from Attica asked how could it be that women in Sparta could rule over men, in this instance, the queen of Sparta, Gorgo, replied "because only Spartan women can give birth to real men". This was unheard of in other parts of Greece, certainly it is clear that Spartan women exercised a far greater degree of control about that they chose to do than other women in ancient Greece.

We are told in a commentary of the politeia of the Spartans by J.M Moore that women were still expected to produce children, if they wanted a true marriage. We are told that marriage prior to the birth of a child is somewhat of a "trial marriage", on not validated until an heir is produced. As a result of this, we can see that women may have been superseded by their more fertile companions, and the lifestyle enjoyed by many may not have been they same for them.

Women could also not own property when they were married, something that is not surprising in ancient Greece. So we can see that women did not obtain true equality. Women were perceived to have their role in life, to produce children, look after them until either the state took over, or marriage, and look after the estate. Nevertheless, it impressive that woman were able to inherit property and land and own it, until they were married.

In fact, some sources have cited that women owned about 35% of all land in classical Sparta. As citizens with no male heirs who died, could give land to women, which was retained until marriage, or death.

Women were also had a wide choice of what to wear. Unlike other states were women were covered up in heavy cloth and shut away until marriage. Spartan women could literally wear anything they wanted to, indeed they often they wore clothes that would be considered daring even today ! On festivals women and men also customarily appeared naked, something that was considered appalling for many other states (Moore pg. 96).

Schooled from an early age, according to Xenophon women were also mentally fit as well as physically. Again, the reasoning being was that a clever mother would mean a clever son. This resulted in highly intelligent women in Sparta, allowing themselves to sometimes help their husbands in the decision-making process and other tasks. Education for women was certainly rare in other states.

Despite women not being represented politically, often women did play a large role in politics. For instance. Gorgo, husband of Leonidas I, famously ordered Generals unable to decode a wax tablet to clear the wax, thus revealing the message. Although, with the previous evidence of Gorgo, this is not necessarily reliable.

According to Plutarch, women were also allowed to barter with their husbands to allow them to bear the children of other men, the argument behind this was very utilitarian, for the greater good of Sparta. Better, younger men would theoretically provide healthier children.

Spartan women have been recorded to have been allowed to go where they pleased by Xenophon, allowed a remarkable amount of say in what they brought for the estate, and few menial chores. Spartan women, although below men in the hierarchy of Sparta, they nevertheless had a lifestyle that was far better than elsewhere in Greece.

However, Aristotle, an Athenian is recorded to have said that the way of life for both women and men, focusing on fitness military aptitude and healthiness was short-sighted "It is the standards of civilized men not of beasts that must be kept in mind, for it is good men not beasts who are capable of real courage. Those like the Spartans who concentrate on the one and ignore the other in their education turn men into machines and in devoting themselves to one single aspect of city's life, end up making them inferior even in that." Obviously Aristotle was writing at the decline of Sparta, and is a biased Macedonian, nevertheless, the fact that Sparta focused upon only a narrow range of aspects arguably a problem.

Overall, It is clear to see that Spartan women enjoyed a huge number of privileges that other women in Greece simply didn't have access to. They managed vast estates, often influenced policy and had a great deal of choice. From the sources that I have studied, including Xenophon the women in Sparta had freedom that was virtually unparalleled in the ancient world. Although the women did not enjoy full citizenship or full political rights, they certainly had a large degree of choice and influence that helped the Spartan state.