Ancient Minoan Women

The Toreador Fresco painting from the every changing and expanding Palace of Minos may provide a great example of this. The painting depicts the form of three human figures two which are pale and one that is darker in a bull-vaulting scene. The human figures do not show a specific gender, pale skin was thought of as a mark of beauty for women in ancient Greece. With this knowledge, we may deduce that the two pale figures were women and the darker figure a man. While the actual purpose of bull vaulting is still unclear at the very least it could be considered a sport or athletic activity. If bull vaulting were considered a sport than the depiction of two women and one man in the vaulting painting could be a statement that the Minoan men considered women to be their equals in social status and

Including both Homer’s works, the Odyssey and Iliad, he echoes his cultures conception of women as being either helpers of men or hindrances or restraints to them, however essentially insubstantial in their own right. Yet the only exceptions to this rule are immortals such as Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, who function by a different set of guidelines because they are goddesses. For instance, they are allowed to have more independence then flesh- and-blood women because they are already symbols of some random abstract virtue or perhaps a principle, or beauty, and therefore they instantly have their own role to fill. As we know Iliad and Odyssey are poems relating adventures surrounding the Trojan War where both poems women are common and

It is also said that men had control over women in the society socially and legally. It is even talked about in the Bible how men are superior to women. For example their is a quote from Genesis 3:xvi that says, “Thy desire

Ancient Greece was a patriarchal society, meaning that their social system was one in which men were the primary holders of power. Within Ancient Greek society, women were unable to take part in government or own assets. This included the ability to vote, having input on societal changes, or owning land. In times of war, women were often treated more as a commodity than human. Women were viewed only as objects of procreation, living their lives completely in the control of their father or husband. The way that men of the time viewed women is depicted in Aeschylus’s Oresteia and in the further reading of our course material from Penn Museum.

In the Iliad, Homer depicts the role of women many times as property and often involves women in prizes of gifts. It is the role of women in terms of war prizes. Examining the impact of female characters in an epic, where Chryses brings a ransom to get back his daughter. Agamemnon refuses and later decides to return Chryseis but in exchange, wants Briseis, Achilles’ woman as compensation, and where Helen is the cause of the war who has been a property in dispute between Paris and Menelaus. Each of these examples demonstrates that women have played a major role in the Iliad, causing men to fight. This paper will explore delineate physical and emotional consequences of men regarding women as “war prizes.”

Women have held many different roles in society throughout human history. Since the beginning of time men have always been viewed as superior. In Homer’s Iliad, a perfect example of the suppressive role of women is shown. Women are treated as property and are used for the mere purpose of reproduction within the household. Paralyzed by their unfortunate circumstances, they were taken and given as if they were material belongings. In Homer's Iliad, women are seen and introduce as rewards to the male heroines and usually the greatest fighters. They are depicted as being inferior to men both physically and intellectually. Throughout the epic poem, women play an important role that symbolizes their relative significance and the impact they

In the Iliad women were gazed upon as an item for exchange of goods and services considered as partners of the male hero’s that were battling in war, and the most powerful of them all…gods! Major conflicts were discussed in book one due to some concerns about two women. “And now my prize you threaten in person to strip from me, for whom I labored much, the gift of the sons of the Achaians. Never, when the Achaians sack some well-founded citadel of the Trojans, do I have a prize that is equal to your prize.” (1.161-164), Chryseis, Agamemnon’s

The social and political roles of woman in ancient societies varied from civilization to civilization. In the Egyptian society woman was considered equal to men, depending on their hierarchy position woman could possess great influence and power. Woman had the right to own property, negotiate and even participate in the Civil Law process, issue contracts under their names, all this allowances made possible for woman to assume roles beyond the traditional housekeeping like lands owners, goods dealers and priests. The reality of woman in other ancient societies was not that optimistic. A relevant example is the case of Greece where women were not considered citizens, had not access to any legal proceeding or right to own land.

Homer’s The Iliad encapsulates the contradictory presentations of the female archetype, while also demonstrating their effect on the male gender. Many factors fuel the male thirst for glory and honor, which also contributes to the notion of women accessorizing these qualities. Although the majority of the women shown in the poem are regarded as weak and servile characters, Hera defies this label and uses her power of seduction to establish control. However, in the mortal world this is not common, and women are traded as war prizes. Homer exemplifies this concept through Chryseis and Briseis, and thus displays the powerless side of women. Through Hera, and the importance of war prizes in the poem, women are depicted as objects of ruin,

In the ancient times women were not even permitted to educate themselves. In some cultures women were not able to even go out from their homes .Moreover they are still some cultures that forces women’s to get married. So it clearly shows that male has been dominant towards women since the ancient time in various countries. Greek philosopher Aristotle expressed the common view of women the time; “The male is by nature superior, and the female inferiors and the one is rules, and the other is ruled, this principle necessity, extends to all mankind.

Gender inequality has been a common facet of various civilizations since the very first societies in ancient Mesopotamia. Texts contemporary to the time period of each society allow us insight into the different fashions by which men and women were positioned. It is difficult to speculate into the roots of gender inequality; because each society was different, any attempt at pinpointing one answer would be a sweeping generalization. Statements given in The Laws of Manu and the argument made by Cicero in the defense of Marcus Caelius Rufus point to the “seductive” nature of women and a distrust of their sexuality. The Romans and Indians had stricter biases than Mesopotamia, however, in each civilization one still sees varying degrees of this bias.

In past years women have been inferior to men and have sat in the background and watched as men ruled. Woman we’re treated as property and were only used for things like having children, raising the children, keeping the house clean, to cook, and to obey all of the wishes of a man. The only women that men highly respected were the goddesses, like the goddess Artemis, Hera, and Eris. The men would pray to the goddess for the things they don’t have in there life. From the day a girl is born she is property, she is owned by her father at first and then her husband. Women weren’t expected and in most cases aloud to go out and make their own money, they are even aloud to own a house or sue someone. The roles of women back then were final and it was a struggle for them to even exist, sometimes even women being seen was unheard of. A mans opinion was the only opinion that matter at that time, men determined what was right and what was wrong, what was socially acceptable, and what women were and weren’t aloud to do. Men had separate rooms from the women and children that they would take company into and talk with them because they believed that women didn’t need to hear what they were talking about because they were uneducated and didn’t have the right to have an opinion. Men even decided what women did for an occupation. They chose this the women were going to be a house wife or a prostitute. Women were treated no better then a domestic slave and they struggled trying to become

Historically, gender roles have not always been consistent with those we have today. Though in many ancient societies men have been dominant to women, there are example where women have been considered equal to men, and where women have been dominant over men. In hunting and gathering societies, such as the ones of early humans, males and females were considered equal. Because of

Throughout history, men have been traditionally viewed as superior since the beginning of time. Although, throughout this time, women have held many different roles in society. In the Iliad, Homer portrayed the role of women in his time as having a very suppressive role. Women during this period of time and especially in this culture are treated primarily as merely property and were used for producing material within the household. Women were often taken and given as if they were material belongings, due to their lack of choice and their unfortunate circumstances. However, apart from portraying women as pieces of property, Homer depicts in his Iliad that women are sometimes conceived and introduced as suppliants to their masculine heroines. Homer depicts them as being inferior beings to men both intellectually and physically. Throughout Homer’s masterpiece Iliad, women play an important but very modest role that entails their relative significance and the impact they partially have on some of the affairs that take place.

Aristotle, in Politics says, “The courage of a man is shown in commanding, of a woman in obeying.” 1 The statement more or less sums up how the Greek viewed their women. Not only were they subjugated to men, but also, were in a position comparable to slaves. Their prime duty lay in obeying there masters, which for women were the men or ‘kurios’ i.e. guardian. Having said that, let us look at the portrayal of women in the Greek literary sphere. In Homer’s The Iliad, Helen of Troy, ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ is shown to be the prime bone of contention between the Greek and the Trojans. She is invested with the power to have made a thousand ships set sail to Troy to bring her back, which is immediately punctured with the fact that