The Women of Ancient Sparta

Sparta was a militaristic society in ancient Greece that became mighty and powerful after defeating its rival neighbor, Athens, in the Peloponnesian War. The Spartan culture was centered on filling the military needs of the polis, and the laws of the land were developed and written by Lycurgus, who established this military-oriented overhaul of society. Because of Lycurgus, it was then decreed that at the young age of seven, Spartan boys left home and entered military training where they mastered the skills of battle until the age of thirty. The women of Sparta also had certain rules and laws to follow that were set by Lycurgus. In this essay I will argue why Spartan women were more dominant in society than other Greek women. The women of Sparta may not have been active in the military, but they were physically trained and educated like the Spartan men, but also enjoyed more liberties compared to the other women of Greece.

Spartan women had a strong reputation of their gallantry and masculinity that other Greek women could not seem to match. Spartan women were women were toughened up physically so that they could to become the wives and mothers of strong soldiers. Therefore, at a young age, girls were taught to run, wrestle and throw the discus and javelin just like the boys of Sparta. The physical exercise women were granted was a guarantee that Spartan women would be able to reproduce and bear warrior children who also had strong bodies. Another freedom of the Spartan women was that they were educated at a young age unlike other Greek women. Since many household responsibilities were left for the slave women (Helots), free girls were allowed to be publically educated like the boys. “The rate of literacy among Spartan women w...

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...ck to their bland diet with as few extras as possible, causing these Greek girls to have very poor health. Spartan girls however were taught to “eat up all their food and not be fussy about it.” In fact, this was taught to all children of Sparta, despite being a male or female. Spartan women also regularly drank wine with each meal, unlike their Athenian sisters.

The culture and society of Sparta was looked down upon by the neighboring Greek city-states for its untraditional customs and laws. But by not copying other city-states, Lycurgus’ decision on an opposite course “made his country outstandingly fortunate.” Sparta was one of the few Greek states where women received formal and physical education. The women of Sparta were treated much differently than other Greek women, but this only played into why Spartan women had much more freedom compared to the others.