Gender Roles in Ancient Greek Society

Abstract

This presentation will explore and illuminate gender roles in ancient Greek society, focusing on Athens and Sparta and the roles of women and men within those city-states. Evidence from mythological formulations, social commentary by a variety of Greek writers, extant material culture, and a variety of other forms of cultural artifacts all play a valuable role in accurately reconstructing the complex dimensions of gender in ancient Greek social life. By using these methods, the structures of gender and their expression in the surviving evidence can be assessed. Athens and Sparta are two different city-states in which both important continuities and differences can provide a window into the overarching Greek culture, the assumptions it makes about the genders, and the socially prescribed roles within the Greek world.