Ancient Greek city-states are known for many of their achievements in philosophy, architecture, math and democracy, but one thing that they are not known for are being champion of women’s rights and freedoms. One of the reasons for this is that some ancient Greek city-states, like Athens, suppressed women’s rights and freedoms, but other ancient city-states would actually take a different path. Sparta and Gortyn would actually be the champions of women’s rights and freedoms, and this is because they gave many rights and freedoms to woman that many other city-states, like Athens, did not. The rights and freedoms of women will be analyzed into three categories, their legal rights, freedoms in their sexuality and their day-to-day routine. Legal
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This ancient Greek city-state, would prove to give women the ultimate freedom in their sexuality, and this is in part due to how they viewed homosexuality. “Ancient Greeks lacked the binary division modern society tends to impose between people who are considered homosexual and those who are viewed as heterosexual” (Pomeroy et al. 170). Ancient Greeks didn’t even distinguish the types of sexualities, as we do now, and for them there was much sexual freedom. Evidence of this freedom includes the fact that, “same-sex erotic relationships did not prevent their participants from entering into heterosexual marriages, with which the homosexual relationship might exist simultaneously” (Pomeroy et al., …show more content…
Pomeroy affirmed this by quoting an ancient Greek philosopher and historian, Plutarch, in his work, Life of Lycurgus, “sexual relationships of this type were so highly valued that respectable women would in fact have love affairs with unmarried girls” (171). The fact that Plutarch stated that “respectable” women participated in this act shows that this act wasn’t shamed, immoral or prohibited in ancient Greece, since “respectable” refers either to woman of high status in either wealth, morals or respect. These types of woman were least likely to commit an act against
This ancient Greek city-state, would prove to give women the ultimate freedom in their sexuality, and this is in part due to how they viewed homosexuality. “Ancient Greeks lacked the binary division modern society tends to impose between people who are considered homosexual and those who are viewed as heterosexual” (Pomeroy et al. 170). Ancient Greeks didn’t even distinguish the types of sexualities, as we do now, and for them there was much sexual freedom. Evidence of this freedom includes the fact that, “same-sex erotic relationships did not prevent their participants from entering into heterosexual marriages, with which the homosexual relationship might exist simultaneously” (Pomeroy et al., …show more content…
Pomeroy affirmed this by quoting an ancient Greek philosopher and historian, Plutarch, in his work, Life of Lycurgus, “sexual relationships of this type were so highly valued that respectable women would in fact have love affairs with unmarried girls” (171). The fact that Plutarch stated that “respectable” women participated in this act shows that this act wasn’t shamed, immoral or prohibited in ancient Greece, since “respectable” refers either to woman of high status in either wealth, morals or respect. These types of woman were least likely to commit an act against