Women of Sparta

Athenian woman: Only you, Spartan women, do what you want with your men.
Queen Gorgo: Yes. But only Spartan women give birth to real men.

Maybe someone would think that this is a banal attempt to be witty, but, in fact, Queen Gorgo spoke of the status of women in Sparta that was supported by law. Never in any other city-state of Greece the status of woman-mother was so high. Before the boy was sended to the public education, it was the mother who determined his life, and she became his most important moral authority.



His father (who had to spend time in wars, military maneuvers and public duties) with the best will in the world could not find all the time necessary for adequate forming of the future soldier and citizen. And here shall come into force one of the most attractive features of Spartan society – the merging of male and female, not conflicting, but acting in close alliance for a greater good and safety of the whole country.

If legendary Amazon women are to someone’s like and this person would love to find their live incarnation, he surely would have had to see the Sparta: from a young age Spartan girls were given physical and military training – running, wrestling, throwing the javelin and the discus… All over Greece sports for women were banned, but in Sparta it was quite common. There’s left a lot of images showing the runners in short tunics that left the legs open for not to hamper the movements, but to cover the breasts for not to cause unwanted obscene gazes of spectators.

In Spartan art, by the way, cannot be found the portrayals of naked women. Artemis, the goddess-foremother for Spartans, was not pictured without clothes even by frivolous Athenian masters. However, they do not allow themselves something like this and with their own foremother – Athena.

Athenian portrayals of nude Aphrodite are numerous as and her temples, where prostitution was so common, and one of the acceptable nicknames for the goddess even sounded in this manner: Aphrodite-Porneia [ed. "of the prostitutes"]. Spartans, not accepting such dissoluteness, nicknamed Aphrodite in scornful and obscene manner: Aphrodite Peribaso (literally “whore” or “streetwalker”), Aphrodite Trimalitis (“pierced through”). It confirms that prostitution in Sparta was a matter of shame.

Ordinary clothing of Spartan women in everyday life was quite long tunic with side slit to the thigh. And the whole Attica in response to the Spartan contempt for immorality heaped ridicule this custom, considering this manner to wrap up the body suitable only for the housekeeping.

Plutarch in the story of Likurgus transmits a short parable: “A story is told of one Geradas, a very old Spartan, who, when asked by a stranger what was done to adulterers among them, answered, "Stranger, there are no adulterers with us." "And if there were one?" asked the stranger. "Then," said Geradas, "he would have to pay as compensation a bull big enough to stand on Mount Taeygetus and drink from the river Eurotas." The stranger, astonished, asked "Where can you find so big a bull?" "Where can you find an adulterer in Sparta?" answered laughing Geradas.”*

Only in Sparta the marriage was a compulsory thing and was embodied in law. In Athens, for example, Solon not only refused to implemented such law, considering “woman a dead weight on the life of a man,” but also became a founder of the first brothel (550 BC). Hetaerism was widespread and even encouraged in Athens. Demosthenes said that each self-respecting Greek should keep by his side (in addition to his wife) a hetaera – “for peace of soul”. Pericles divorced with his wife because of his affair with Milesian hetaera Aspasia. Apart from the Athens, the other center of Hellenic prostitution was Corinth, where there was a sumptuous temple of Aphrodite , widely practicing “temple prostitution”, there was even a union of prostitutes-“anti-vestals” (“sacred women”).

Quite a different atmosphere prevailed in Sparta. Lykurgus, according to Plutarch, implemented the law requiring a bachelor to sing the publicly self-humiliating song. To those who delayed with marriage it was not allowed to enter The Gymnopedies. There is one story that also confirmed all that was said above: Thus it happened that no one blamed the young man for not rising before Derkyllidas, famous general as he was [for he was unmarried man]. This youth kept his seat, saying, ‘You have not begotten a son to rise before me.’”*

It is hard to say how good matriarchy is of itself... But Sparta did not suffer from some of matriarchal dominance in its society. So far known the law of Gortyna (5th century BC), a rather asymmetry one (directed at certain way): if a slave will come to free woman and marries her, then the children will be freeborn, if a free woman will come to slave, then children will be slaves too. So, free woman who accepted the slave saves the freedom of their children. Slave, who accepted a free woman, will make their children slaves. In addition, in a divorce the woman was getting all of her property, with which she came to her husband, and half of the income they have got from living together.

There are documents, evidencing of a very high penalties for rape and adultery that were extremely increasing if the case concerned free men and their wives.

Woman who was unfaithful to her husband was forbidden to visit temples and wear the jewellery. For violation of this prohibition she could be beaten. Besides, the adulteress could be publicly exposed-to-view on the shameful place and be named with disgraceful nicknames.

Procurers could be punished by death.

Perhaps after erasing risque stains from their reputation, Spartans will seem to someone quite boring... or just ridiculous... the simplicity and honesty in everything are the subjects to derision and scornful irony in our society much easier than perversity... Defending from the attempts of truthful, but ‘spiceless’ analysis, we are still trying to find in the past something that can justify the insane mind-set and way of life that dictated to us...

And all of this is about Stelios and his people too...

to be continued...

* Plutarch's Lives, Volume I by Plutarch