Lives Of Women In Classical Athens Analysis

“The lives of women in Classical Athens” chapter from Sue Blundell’s Women in Ancient Greece describes how females in Athens lived during the Classical Period, from infancy to elderliness. The Classical Period marked the height of Greek society, from incredible feats of art and architecture to the rise of Alexander the Great and the continued building of an enormous empire. This chapter explores the lives of women in Athens, perhaps the most powerful city-state in Greece. Blundell focuses largely on a women’s role in the home, but she also delves into the childhood of Athenian girls, the religious role women played, and the lives of women of different social classes. This reaction paper will explore the author’s claims of what being a female was like during the Classical Period. I will also provide my own insights into how this chapter connects to overall Greek Civilization. …show more content…
She pulls descriptions from various sources and compares them with one another. Additionally, she brings her own inferences into the mix. Considering that almost all written accounts of life were by men, I think that Blundell’s speculations are warranted, and I appreciate her efforts to provide a complete picture of Athenian life. Furthermore, Blundell’s accounts are consistent with what we have discussed in class regarding an earlier Greek period. We can examine Odysseus and his wife, Penelope in the Odyssey. When Odysseus was away at the Trojan Wars, Penelope worked in the home, while fending off the suitors. She “wove” a burial shroud, as would have been a traditional domestic role for women, and she let her son, Telemachus, manage affairs that were conducted outside the home. Furthermore, she wielded unexpected power in controlling all of the suitors who wished to be her husband. Women ran the home, while men worked outside of