2+3- ATHENS Birth, Life and Early Education

Young Women and Women in the Home- section 2

kyrios

head of the household, always had direct control over women

who decided whether a baby should be exposed or not

the kyrios

why would babies be exposed if they were unwanted

they believed that if the gods wanted it, the child would be saved

why were girls more likely to be exposed compared to boys

• they were a greater financial strain on families

• they were not heirs

why were girls more expensive to their families than boys

• they weren’t able to take over the family business

• had to be married off, and the girls family would have to pay a dowry- v. expensive

was it more likely for rich or poor families to expose girls

poor families- they couldn’t afford to look after them

who educated most Athenian girls

their mothers

what did Athenian girls learn in their education

• spinning wool

• weaving

• cookery

• managing household finances

• managing household slaves

• (DOMESTIC EDUCATION)

was there a state education in Athens

no

what was a boys education like

• would have private tutors they would pay for

• literacy

• numeracy

• music

• physical education and more

• (ACADEMIC EDUCATION)

why were lower class girls more likely to receive a maths-based education

they would have to have a more active involvement in their family business and finance as the family needs the workers and the money

why were boys more likely to receive an academic education

they would go on to run businesses and get jobs, so if a family could afford for one of their children to get an academic education, they would choose the boys

sources for birth, early life + education

• additional- red-figure hydria depicting a woman reading

• additional- red-figure hydria showing a mother passing her child to a wetnurse

• additional- Menander poem fragment

what does the red-figure hydria depicting a woman reading show- no analysis

• seated woman reading

• three attendants surrounding her

what does the woman on the red-figure hydria reading imply

implies that some women get a proper education, however this goes against the typical Athenian woman; ATYPICAL EXPERIENCE

why can it be said that only rich women could get a proper education

• she’s surrounded by 3 slaves; shows she’s rich because she can afford that many

• one of these slaves is holding a lyre, a musical instrument that would cost a lot of money to buy and to learn how to play

• kyrios rich so he is able to educate both his male and female children

what does the red-figure hydria showing a mother display

• shows a mother passing her child to a wetnurse

• who is standing next to her

what shows

what shows that the mother has more authority

the mother is much taller than the wetnurse despite sitting down while the wetnurse is standing; the mother is taller and larger and therefore more superior

how does that source show that wetnurse is a trustworthy profession

the rich woman trusts her with her baby

Menander poem fragment quote

“a man who teaches a woman to write should recognise he is providing poison to an asp”

who is Menander

a comic playwright

genre of the Menander fragment

comedy

what does Menander comparing women to snakes show

compares them to snakes, showing that they are bad and evil

how does Menander’s fragment show that women shouldn’t be taught to read

says that women being educated is dangerous, like a poisonous snake

suggests that teaching women to read and write is not the norm

what is an evaluative point for Menander fragment analysis

Menander is a comic playwright and is only a fragment, showing that this could be a joke and not representative of what people really thought at this time