Essay on A Comparison of Greek and Roman Social Structures

These women were the crushes of those poets. In a manner, this can be viewed as respect for women’s inner beauty and intelligence. Some might perceive this as the only case of women having the upper hand on society. “When a guardian violates the chastity of his female ward, he shall be sentenced to deportation, and all his property shall be confiscated to the Treasury, although he must still suffer the penalty that the laws inflict upon ravishers” (Bailkey, 472). Although stated in many sources that male figures held complete control over females, men were still not allowed to take advantage of women morally. Guardians would be deported if they slept with their daughters. Despite women not having the same equality that men had, to a certain extent they were respected. “A man who contracts matrimony with his female ward in violation of the decree of the senate is not legally married; and he who was her guardian or curator can be prosecuted for adultery if he marries a girl under twenty-six years of age who has not been betrothed to him, or destined for him, or mentioned for this purpose in a will” (Bailkey,

Women in Athens had no political rights whatsoever. Politics were entirely in the hands of free men. In fact, even slaves had more rights than women at this time. Women couldn’t inherit property, nor could they appear in court as jurors. Women didn’t have the opportunity to commit most crimes, as they were not allowed to participate in public life. Instead, they were expected to stay home and take care of the house.

When talking about the culture in ancient Greece and Rome we are talking about two cultures that have had a major impact on today’s society. We are also talking about two cultures that have highly similar ways of life and or beliefs. One thing that both cultures had in common was that they believed in all the same gods. Although they did have different names for some gods, they all believed in what each god stood for and the myths that they had. For example, the Greek’s called one god Zeus while the Romans called him Jupiter. Another similarity between Greece and Rome was that they both practiced agriculture. Not only did both nations both practice agriculture but they even grew some of the same crops. A few example of crops that both the Romans and Greeks grew are barley, grapes, olives, wheat and so much more. Agriculture in Rome and Greece was essential to anybody was able to grow them. For

Under original Roman law women went from the authority of their fathers to the authority of their husbands, and a woman was required to have a male supervise her finances. However, by about the beginning of the 1st Century BC women began to achieve greater freedom.

The Roman lives were based on the Twelve Tables, which were their written laws enforced by the government. The Twelve Tables were stable for over a millennium until the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. The Romans were able to keep control through fair legal rights basically saying any crime was intolerable, but could be solved in a court case to determine the fate of the criminal. The Romans were half democratic and gave the people some voice by selecting representatives. This ruling helped decimate any crime and prevent murder. Although there are many positives to this ruling, innocent newborns with a deformity were ruthlessly killed. (Doc. 6)

The second major similarity between ancient Greek and Roman civilizations was that their citizens voted on who to make their elected officials, however the difference was that each culture differed in their definition of a citizen. The Greeks only recognized native-born males having the right of citizenship, women and slaves could not be citizens and therefore could not vote. The Romans on the other hand, recognized foreigners residing within Italy as half-citizens giving them full legal rights but not the right to vote. Greece mostly voted into office people of middle- to upper-class citizens, whereas Rome only voted in the rich 10% of their population. Even though history seems to show that the Greeks were more fair by randomly selecting citizens to run for office, the Roman government specifically chose who would run for election similar to our political race today where the Republican and Democratic parties choose who will be there candidates.

With this being said, the whole family was dependent upon a male guardian. Women had no roles in public life and they were seen like children by the law. As the Empire grew on and became more powerful, they gained personal protection and economic freedom. Politically, all rulers were male. Every Consul was male, all members of the Senate were male, all members of the Centuriate and Tribal assembly were male, and all eight Praetors were male.

The Roman family life was a very simple and complex system at the same time. Every aspect of life for the typical Roman family was male dominated, they were in on every decision. The everyday family life was based on social status and diplomatic classifications. Everything from jobs to entertainment that could be participated in was based on gender or social standing within the community. The Romans were very absorbed with different types of entertainment and recreation. Everything about the Roman life revolved around the family, it was the basic unit of their daily lives.

Rome was a highly hierarchical and class-conscious society; yet, since its power extended for centuries, the distinction between different classes varied in time. In the Roman kingdom and the early Roman Republic, the most important division in Roman society was between the Patricians and the Plebeians. The struggle for power between these two classes resulted in the development of the Roman system of government (McManus, 1997).

Women were generally considered to be in charge of running the household after marriage, and if a woman were to remain single, harsh judgement was pressed upon her. Such accusations included premisciousity, scandalousness and other forms of immoral behavior. "Young women whose parents had died and who lacked sufficient property to find a husband were seen as a threat to the community" (118). Men had troubles living on their own as well. They were forced to find jobs, and were banished from the village if they failed to do so.

Throughout the home wealthy Romans would have numerous amounts of household servants. They might be working in the culina to prepare food, walking children to school, cleaning the villa, washing clothing, etc. There were many cubiculum throughout the household Roman slaves would normally sleep in smaller, darker rooms. Roman men were the masters of the family and the home. They would greet their patrons in the atrium where their daily work routine began. Wealthy Roman men would work which might include, writing letters, seeing patrons and or going to the forum to meet other businessmen. The forum was normally right outside of wealthy Roman houses. While poorer men would become shopkeepers, farmers or craftsmen and their homes were located further away from the city. After their daily work routine Roman men would return home expecting dinner from their wives. He would greet his family in the atrium and then go to the triclinium for a meal. Women were expected to stay at home every day. They were expected to complete their chores around the house and watching the children while their husbands were at work. Women would normally wake up with their husbands to prepare breakfast or help their husbands get ready for work and their day. Women who had wealthy husbands would sometimes spend an entire day planning a dinner party, which would take place when her husband returns home. Poorer Roman women would

Contrary to the male citizen the females in Athens were considered citizens but they were not allowed to speak or vote in the assembly, hold any form of public office or serve on juries. For a woman in Athens it was extremely important to marry well and give birth to “legitimate” citizens. In order to marry an Athens male citizen both her parents have to be Athenian born as well. (Levack, Muir, & Veldman, 2011)

In Athens, there was a lot of opportunity for a male. An Athenian male could become a scholar, poet, politician, or pretty much anything they wanted; but females on the other hand, didn 't have that power. Men was under the understanding that females were incapable of making reasonable decisions in the political world. The idea of gender equality was non-existent in the Athens society. As said by Historian Don Nardo “throughout antiquity most Greek women had few or no civil rights and many enjoyed little freedom of choice or mobility.” He also stated “aside from poetry, women’s writing survives only in private letters written on papyrus preserved by ancient of nature, only from Hellenistic and Roman Egypt.” (O’Pry 2012) Women in the Athens society that were in an upper class were

social outlook give important insights into the manner in which Roman society of the period was

Ancient Rome was one of the most influential historical societies on our world today. From architecture to the basic way that the government was set up, they created a new era of thinking that set the standard for countries in the future, including how social classes were organized. Rome was an empire that was built upon its social classes with clearly defined roles that allowed for limited social mobility. There was a large gap between the wealthy upper class and the lower classes as well as slaves. Three main factors decided one's class, including wealth, freedom, and Roman citizenship. A person's social class determined what education, pastimes, and occupations were available to them. These classes included the elite upper class, a