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Questions and Answers

Question: What was Family life like for greek woman in 450 B.C.?

Answer: It is important to note that life changed a lot for women in this period. The period around 450 B. C. is classical Greece. 1450 B.C. is Homeric or Bronze Age Greece. There are numerous books on family life in classical Greece. One such book is Carpenter, Rhys, editor Everyday Life in Ancient Times, National Geographic Society, Washington D. C., 1951. And there are many original works to study including some by women. Some Greek women who lived around 450 B.C. include: Ansandra, Cleobuline, Cresilla, Helena, Praxilla, Aglaonice, Agnodice, Damo, Diotima, Elpinice, Hippo, Perictyone. For life at 1450 B. C. you can read the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer.

Question: What was the role of women in the 2nd world war?

Answer: It is interesting to compare the role of women in WWII and in the Trojan war. In both wars the women were there to come home to. But in the case of the Trojans their warriors could come home to their women in the evening. The American soldiers could write their women. But the Achaean warriors were isolated from their women for 10 years. The Achaeans replenished their supply lines by forays into the country side. If they were able to capture women they brought them back to camp where they became slaves of the Achaean warriors for sex or as servants. The Americans were able to get supplies at home and were fortunate that the American women had been employed to make those supplies. But American soldiers did relate to foreign women as prostitues or girl friends that in some cases were brought home as wives at the end of the war. Americans did include women in the army but they had restricted roles of secretary or nurse. The Trojans had the Amazons as an ally so there was a contingent of fighting women. Their leader, Penthesillia, fought Achilles and was killed by him. This battle gave rise to fascinating stories, which you can study. Both the Americans and the Trojans shared the idea that if they lost the war their women might be enslaved and humiliated. This came true for the Trojans. It is a tribute to the Americans that they did not enslave the women of their enemies.

You should remember that the cause of the Trojan War is an argument between three goddesses, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera. Throughout the war these women manipulated the participants. Keep in mind the realms of these goddesses. Athena symbolizes wisdom or prowess. Aphrodite symbolizes love. Hera symbolizes grandeur. Fortunately wisdom wins out in the end. WWII was about freedom. Would there have been a goddess involved here also?

Question: What role did women play in the Hittite civilization?

Answer: In addition to their role of wife and mother, they had a role in the religion of the Hittites. The major deity in the Hittite pantheon was the life-giving earth, the mother of all things. Women seem to have an independent status and could not be considered the slaves of men. Some women became priestesses. Some women were elders obviously valued for their wisdom and their ability to respond to community needs.

Question: Did woman philosophers in 800-500B.C influence greek art?

Answer: Their influence was greater than at later times. Some names are as follows: Aglaonice, Agnodice, Damo, Diotima, Elpinice, Perictyone, Theano, and Theoclea. A short summary of information on each of these is included in Judy Chicago's book on page 122 that is dedicated to Aspasia. According to Plato Diotima was instrumental in the education of Socrates and therefore Plato. Diotima's influence through Plato could have been very broad. I suppose Plato's influence on Greek Art is debatable. However his influence on the art of the Renaissance was profound.

This question may miss an important point. One can demonstrate that both art and philosophy arose from the religion of the Greeks. Women had an important influence on the religion of the Greeks because it began to be formed at a time when women deities were dominant. But the early history of the Greek religion was not written down so women involved in the early formation have not been recognized. Judy Chicago tries to overcome this limitation by recognising such names as: Eurynome, Gaea, Hera, Aphrodite, The Furies, Hecate, Ariadne, Artemis, Athene, Britomartis, Demeter, Europa, Kore, Pasiphae, Python, Rhea, Antigone, Atalanta, Cassandra, Circe, Clytemnestra, Daphne, Hecuba, Helen of Troy, Lysistrata, Pandora, Paxagora, and Pythia.

Question: In Ancient Greece, what were a woman's top priorities?

Answer: From the time of the Trojan war to the end of classical Greece the highest level that a woman could achieve was to be a wife of a male Greek citizen. The top priority of these women was to get pregnant and bear healthy babies for their husbands. In the book by Robert Garland he states that the average wife became pregnant 5 times. The Greek men did not bother their wives for sex, cooking or cleaning. Servants, often women, did the chores, and special women served as courtesans and prostitutes. Tasks were often divided along sexual lines even for the servants, with women baking bread, grinding grain, carrying water, weaving, making clothes, and bathing. Men fought wars, herded, built things, and did politics. When wives were not pregnant, they did things the other servants did, but mainly weaving. At the time of the Trojan war some women determined the king by their marriage, but this practice ended with the death of Clytemnestra. Before the Trojan war some women were priestesses. Iphiginia became a priestess. After the Trojan war this practice diminished, but even into the classical period the oracle at Delphi was a priestess.

Question: How were women and art part of the Greek society?

Answer: Women in Greek society were greatly restricted, but in art their role was more important. Greek art represented the ideals of Greek society and a certain religious fervor. This produced an art of a great perfection which was in demand as a trade item. The religion of the time depended on storys developed in an an earlier society where women acted more powerfuly and independently. Art depicted gods and godesses interacting in ways which were not likely in Greek society. The Greeks developed a sense of an ideal so the images of women depicted depended not on ordinary people, but the best available. Trade spread these images abroad where they were quite popular because of their fine quality and interest. The images thus spread, no doubt, influenced the aspirations of many people. Greek society benefited economically from the trade in art and the rest of the world benefited from a view of women which was less restricted that the Greeks themselves held.

Question: What was the Greek god Ares' super power.

Answer: The following quote from Homer's Iliad points to the answer: "Diomedes of the loud war-cry then brought his spear into play, and Pallas Athene drove it home against the lower part of Ares' belly, where he wore an apron around his middle. There the blow landed, wounding the god and tearing his fair flesh.. Diomedes drew out heis spear, and Brazen Ares let forth a yell as loud as the war-cry of nine thousand or ten thousand battling men. The Achaeans and Trojans quaked with terror at that appalling cry from the god who never had his fill of war. Then, like the column of black air that issues from the clouds when a tornado springs up after heat, Diomedes son of Tydeus saw the Brazen War-god whirl up to heaven in a welter of haze." The power is fear.

Question: Do you have some Greek symbols with meanings also?

Answer: Yes, there are numerous Greek symbols with special meaning. Most Greek deities are identified by their associated symbol: Zeus has his thunderbolt, Poseidon his trident, Athena her helmet and Aegis, Hermes his winged sandals (talaria), caduceus, and winged hat (petasos). Marija Gimbutas discusses many other symbols in her book The Language of the Goddess.

Question: Were women always respected?

Answer: No. And during war they are respected even less. In Book VI of the Iliad Hector forsees the day when his wife will be a slave: Hector sees his wife "...dragged off in tears by some Achaean men-at-arms to slavery. I see you there in Argos, toiling for some other woman at the loom, or carrying water from an alien well, a helpless drudge with no will of your own."

During the Trojan war some women had value as a prize of war but this did not give them much respect. Achilles and Agamemnon argued over Briseis as such a prize in the Iliad. The pity of her situation is brought out in book XIX of the Iliad:

"So Briseis came back, beautiful as golden Aphrodite. But when she saw Patroclus lying there, mangled by the sharp bronze, she gave a piercing scream, threw herself on his body and tore her breast and tender neck and her fair cheeks with her hands. Lovely as a goddess in her grief, she cried: 'Alas, Patroclus, my heart's delight! Alas for me! ...Such is my life, an endless chain of misery. I saw (my) husband..., and... my three brothers, ..., all meet their doom. But you, when the swift Achilles killed my man and sacked King Mynes' city - you would not even let me weep; you said you would make me Prince Achilles' lawful wife...'

Thus Briseis wept, and the other women took up the lament, ostensibly for Patroclus, but each at heart for her own unhappy lot."

In Book XIV we can read that: "...Achilles slept in a corner of his well-made wooden hut with the beautiful Briseis at his side.

Question: How come I can't find any information on greek women painters such as Timarete, Eirene, Kalypso, Aristarete, Iaia, or Olympias? Did these women really exist?

Answer: Judy Chicago, in her book The Dinner Party states that: "In my research I realized over and over again that women's achievements had been left out of history and the records of their lives had apparently disappeared." This statement is born out by my research of Sappho and Hypatia. Judy Chicago did include information about some of the women she researched, and she has this to say about Timarete: "Timatete flourished at 800 BCE in Greece. She was and artist who produced an image of Artemis, one of the most ancient examples of painting. The work was on view at Ephesus." (p 121)

In his Natural History,35.40, 147.L, Pliny the Elder speaks about women painters: "Women, too, have been painters. Timarete, the daughter of Micon, painted a Diana on a panel of the very archaic painting in Epheseus. Irene, daughter and student of Cratinus, painted a girl at Eleusis, a Calypso, the old juggler Theodorus, and the dancer Alcisthenes. Aristarete, daughter and student of Nearchus, painted an Asclepius. Iaia of Cyzicus, who never nmarried, worked in Rome during the youth of Marcus Varro. She used both the painter's brush and, on ivory, the graving tool. She painted women most frequently, including a panel picture of an old woman in Naples, and even a self-portrait for which she used a mirror. No one's hand was quicker to paint a picture than hers; so great was her talent that her prices far exceeded those of the most celebrated painters of her day, Sopolis and Dionysius, whose wook fill the galleries. A certain Olympius, too, was a painter. About her we know only that Autobulus was her student."

Question: What is the role of women in Greek literature?

Answer: Writing was not in general use until about 750 BCE so literature reflects mainly society after this time. The stories from previous times were handed down by word of mouth. When writing began stoies were written down from earlier times so later literature sometime reflects a mixture of influence. What is most obvious is that roles changed. In the earlier periods women had a wider range of roles while in the later period women were more secluded and involved with domestic tasks. But greek literature is known for the variety of roles that are portrayed and a certain depth of emotion.

Question: How were women regarded in classical myth?

Answer: Women were regarded quite differently in classical Greek myth than in classical Greek society. The deities act like they are members of a willful family whose members act out their emotions. Each deity has a realm in which they act and from which they draw their power. The Greek deities are unusual in that they are subject to some restrictions such as dike, sort of a natural law, and fate. The women deities, goddesses, are quite powerful with important realms such as Hera, queen of heaven, goddess of women and marriage. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, wise in the industries of peace and the arts of war. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. Though all deities must submit to the will of Zeus, they are capable of violent interaction, war even, and can wound each other, but they are immortal and cannot die. Thus Aphrodite fought opposite Hera and Athena in the Trojan war. They are also capable of various sexual liasons. Hera was the wife of Zeus, but Zeus fathered Artemis and Apollo by Leto.

Unfortunately mortal women do not fare so well at the hands of the gods. Each goddess attends to her realm while mortal women must mainly attend to the task of bearing children. This fact is emphasized by the number of mortal women that are raped by gods for the purpose of bearing great children. Zeus raped Europa to produce Minos and Rhadamanthus. This rape seems to serve as a mechanism for producing offspring with the blood of Zeus. This sort of rape is a violent sexual act that is forced upon a woman against her will, but it is not an act of destruction, as rapes turn out to be in reality. They involve the fantasy that the women will submit to the power of the male, and will willingly raise up the child that is forced upon them by potent sexual intercourse with the god. For this reason these rapes are seen as symbolic of the religion of a patriachal society dominating the matriarchal religion of an older society.

Question: What did Greeks contribute to western civilizations?

Answer: Foremost was their spirit of freedom. Even though only a fraction their citizens were free, The spirit of those few is easily extended to all in our times. Both math and science owe a great debt to the Greeks. They developed Geometry and studied astronomy, geography, and mechanics to such an extent that their work forms the groundwork of what we do today. Their philosophers began to speculate along paths that we still follow today. In art they set high standards of perfection that we measure up to even today. Even their religion had its influence and had to be translated into Christian terms for our use today.

Question: What did women symbolize in Greek art? How were they portrayed and worshiped?

Answer: Because the images of women could be used to represent goddesses and their realms, these images could represent natural and spiritual processes as well as ideal and real women. Just exactly what they represent depends on their attributes and associations. Thus the central figure in this example: Click here is Zeus because, as the king of gods he would wear a crown and sit on a throne. The lady next to him is Hera because she is the wife of Zeus. Normally women are portrayed in a flattering, stylish manner. The Greek artists were able to portray a reality that was desirable and convincing if not totally accurate. They did not bother to copy the features of a real goddess but rather were satisfied with the features of a real woman idealized. Thus the image used represented the hairsytles and clothing fashions of the time of the artist. They also had a sense of form and style which allowed them to present images of women that are beautiful in every sense. But even though the Greek artists were able to produce some of the most beautiful images of women ever made, it can only be said that they worshipped women because some of their goddesses were women. It would be more true to say that they worshipped beauty and tried to incorporate it in all things. Real women were treated more as possessions, often on the level of a servant or a slave.

Question: What does it mean to have women painted on red-figure pottery?

Answer: It means that the artist is attempting to depict a female human body moving in space. No longer is the image diagramatic so you have to look for symbols to determine it is a woman. Now you look for grace, female forms and female movements in space. You get a feeling of the correspondance of the image to reality.

Question: What are the names of women in ancient Greek art?

Answer: A number of lists of women's names are present in previous answers, which you should check. But I have not provided the names of the muses. The muses are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory). Hesiod listed them as: Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Urania, and Calliope. Hesiod did not mention their realms but later authors have mentioned them as follows: Clio is the muse of history, Euterpe is the muse of music, Thalia is the muse of comedy and bucolic poetry, Melpomene is the muse of tragedy, Terpsichore is the muse of dancing and choral song, Erato is the muse of lyric and amatory poetry, Polyhymnia is the muse of the sacred lyric, Urania is the muse of Astronomy, Calliope is the muse who presides over eloquence and heroic poetry. If there are names not listed here or elsewhere in the article, please ask a more specific question.

Question: What about women in the Greek novel?

Answer: The novel is a recent art form that was not well developed until the 18th century. If we take a novel to be a work of fiction of the prose form then there are a number of comments that can be made. Very little literature of the prose form was written before the Roman period because very few persons could read or write. Most of the literature was poetry because poetry is easier to remember. Special persons, called bards, would commit entire works such as the Iliad or the Odyssesy to memory and would travel around reciting these works. Poems grew into choruses, which grew into plays which could be performed many times by a group of players from memory. At first, all literature was factual. Any fabrications had to be attributed to a bard's poor memory or poetic fancy. Later works had historical subjects that were filled in with plausible details. Only after Herodotus and other historians attempted to logically establish what was fact and what was fiction, was the distinction drawn. Famous fictional prose from Greece and Rome includes Longus Daphnis and Chloe, Apuleius, The Golden Ass, and Petronius, The Satyricon, which you can get from your local library. All these works are from the Roman period, and the situation of woman in that period is another story.

Question: Are there any women in ancient Greek history who made a (major contribution to) change in Greek history?

Answer: The Greeks did some wonderful things, and the women should not be denied their contribution. All the great men of Greece were born of women and owe to them their early education. We know now that early education is the most important. Though society was more rigidly divided as to roles the women did their share. Since our notions of grace and beauty come largely from ancient Greece, and the Greek women provided the model for this, we must give the women their credit.

There are a number of historical women who stand out, the most notable of which are Sappho and Aspasia. But there is also the anonymous woman of the Oracle at Dephi who advised the Athenians to Defend walls of wood. One has to wonder about the contribution of Phryne, who posed for the nude Venus of Cnidos. In addition there are a number of mythological women who were probably modeled on real women. These include: Eurynome, Gaea, Hera, The Furies, Hecate, Ariadne, Artemis, Athena, Britomartis, Demeter, Europa, Kore, Pasiphae, Python, Rhea, Io.

Question: What about women in Greek religion?

Answer: There is much about religion that has already been discussed, because Greek women were important to Greek religion. One point that has not been made is that religion was more integrated into the culture of Ancient Greece than it is now. There was no issue of converting people to one religion. All people of one culture had the same religion and the religion was defined, they thought, by their experience with God, or deities. We sometimes refer to the Greek religion as pagan, but this word was meaningless to them. Other religions were to them babarian. The word 'pagan' suggests ignorance, particularly of Christianity, but the Greeks would have to be invincibly ignorant because Christianity was not well formed until well into the Roman period. The value of their religion cannot be doubted but became anything but ignorant. The wonderful art of the Greeks was a tribute to their religion, and from the Greek religion speculative philosophy grew. And lastly, much of Christianity was simply the adoption of the Greek religion with the names changed. Much of the work of the old gods of the Greek pantheon was taken over by the saints and angels of the new Christianity.

Question: What was the power of Greek women in society?

Answer: Classical Greece was perhaps the highest that civilization has ever achieved. Though it is popular to comment upon the subserviant and secluded role that women had in this society, yet no one has ever complained about how the women performed that role. It must be assumed that they performed their role very well. The art of the time projects an image of beautiful, effective women who are capable of inspiring great art. Perhaps this is the relation between Athena and Athens that allowed the Athenians to defeat the Persians. At any rate the Athenians were very grateful for Athena's patronage in that war and the Parthenon resulted.

Question: What did Greek writers have to say about women?

Answer: Greek writers are some of the most important that ever lived. You should read their works directly for their comments about women. Some of the more important Greek writers are:

• Homer and Hesiod about 750 BCE
• Poets: Sappho and Anacreon 650 BCE
• Tragedy: Thespis 650 BCE
• Odes: Pindar
• Theater: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes
• Historians: Herodotus, Thucydides
• Philosohers: Heraclitus and Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, Protagoras, Socrates, Zeno, Plato, and Aristotle.

Question:What is Io's role in Prometheus Bound?

Answer: She is a long suffering woman who sees results in her children. As a result she symbolizes the future of mankind.

Question: Any goddessess of intelligence?

Answer: Athena was the goddess of wisdom. Mnemosyne was the goddess of memory. Metis was the goddess of prudence. The muses could also be considered in this category.

Question: What kind of work were women responsible for doing?

Answer: During the Homeric period women were involved with baking bread, grinding grain, carrying water, weaving, making clothes, and bathing. They were also involved with child bearing and associated duties such as nursing and midwifery. These tasks seemed to continue into the classical period. The women did have notable roles in religious festivals. Cassandra was a prophetess.

Question: How were Greek women treated?

Answer: When they were secluded in the home they were probably kept pretty well. In Sparta they were herded together while in Athens they were more secluded. In their own domain they were probably in control. They were not in total control during childbirth because the vast majority of the gynocologists were men even though the women seemed to prefer women attendants. Outside of the home they were not treated very well. They were treated as possesions. Beautiful young women were highly valued, but traded like cattle. Talented women were also valued as servants. Women slaves were used any way the owner wanted.

Question: How were women of the higher class differentiated from the women in low class?

Answer: The class of a woman was determined by the class of her husband or male relative. Only priestesses and queens were exempt from this rule. There were no queens into the classical period.

Question: Using a work of art discuss the Archaic period in Greek art.

Answer: The Archaic period of Greek art was more schematic as is illustrated in the piece: Archaic Clothed. We know it is a woman by her dress. The figure is static without much feeling of space. The figure is all profile because this is easier to draw but the resulting form has excellent proportions. Except for the eye, which is easier to draw from the front. This figure is advanced because the hands are drawn in space unlike the feet which are more schematic with only one image standing for both feet. The long flowing hair and delicate features do suggest a feeling for feminine lovelyness, which is, I suppose, why this image is considered to be Aphrodite.

Question: Using a work of art discuss the Hellenistic in Greek art.

Answer: The Hellenistic period was more concerned with presenting a dynamic image in a real space as is illustrated in: Hellenistic Nude. Notice how the body twists and turns. The idealism is there. It is not an image of reality, but of ideality. There is a sensuous beauty, but the beauty goes well beyond this. It is a beauty of curves balancing curves and a feeling of dynamic and static balance of weight and form. This is almost a mechanical arrangement. There are numerous statues with the arms placed in the same position as though the sculptor was following a recipe for beauty. The fact that the statue is a nude woman reinforces the hellenistic concern for a real persona projected into an ideal thought.

Question: What is the angle of contractions? What corrections were made in the door in order to correct this?

Answer: My guess is that this relates to the doorway rather than the door. This quote from the 11th ed. of the Encyclopedia Brittanica might be helpful: "In Greece the linings of the earliest doorways at Tiryns were in wood, and in order to lessen the bearing of the lintel the dressings or jams (antepagmenta) sloped inwards, so that the width of the doorway opening was less at the top than at the bottom." This form of doorway is illustrated by the Lion gate of Mycenae as follows: Click here.

Question: How were goddesses(women) seen as central deities?

Answer: During the classical period they were not central. In fact, for Aristotle, Zeus was the only god considered. But Athena was the patroness of Athens, and it was she they thanked for their victory over the Persians. In Homer the goddesses are central because they are quarreling over the judgement of Paris. Aphrodite is on the side of the Trojans and Hera and Athena are on the side of the Achaeans. Because the young female form is an ideal of beauty and sexiness, artists have continued to focus on the goddesses to this day, using every opportunity to portray them in various states of undress so their beautiful bodies can be seen.

Question: What was life like for women then?

Answer: Probably pretty miserable for most. Some did well though. Women were secluded in the home and did not visit the marketplace. You should read answers to the other questions for details.

Question: What is the difference between Greek and Babylonian Women?

Answer: Let us assume that the Babylonian assumes the Assyrian culture. Then the Babylonian period covers the time between 2250 BCE and 530 BCE. The situation was the same for women in both societies in many areas. But Babylonia had more emphasis on a rule of law and women were less secluded in that society. Women were more able to engage in business and other legal matters such as politics.

Judy Chicago lists a number of names associated with women in Babylonia:

• Aruru/Creation Goddess
• Tiamat/Mother of All
• fl. 1750 BCE/Amat-Manu/Temple scribe
• fl. 1685 BCE/Iltani/Royal Priestess
• fl. 2100 BCE/Shibtu/Queen
• Irkalla/Ruler of the Underworld
• fl. 540 BCE/Bel-Shalti-Narrar/Priestess and wise woman
• 704-626 BCE/Naqi'a/Stateswoman and regent
• 6th cent BCE/Nitrocris/Ruling Queen of Babylon
• fl. 650 BCE/Semiramis/Warrior Queen

Question: Can you explain feminism in Lysistrata?

Answer: Lysistrata is based on a few assumptions. One is that women are more sensible than men and that war is stupid. Another is that women have more control over their sexual urges than men. Lysistrata then deprives the men of sex until they can come to their senses and stop the silly war. This strategy does not usually work because women often pick on one another, and if deprived of sex, men can become very controlling. A better tactic would be to educate the women and give them the power to vote.

Question: Who is Thesus?

Answer: Probabably Theseus misspelled. He was a hero of ancient Greece.

Question: Helen - Iliad, Medea - Argonauts, Dido - Aeneid?

Answer: The first is a woman heroine and the second is the title of the work she appears in.

Question: Why was the 'sacred king' neccesary and how did the role of sacred king change.

In some cases the role of the 'sacred king' was entirely ceremonial. The king was used as a scapegoat. All the bad things that had happened to the community were blamed on the king and he was killed in a sacrifice to purge the community of this evil.

In other cases the 'sacred king' was the consort of the queen. The queen's role was to provide royal offspring. Early on the process of sexual reproduction was not undestood and certain family ties could only be determined through the mother. Whether the queen ever ruled is debatable. The royal consort became the actual ruler. If the queen died, then her daughter's spouse would rule. If the king died, then the queen's new husband would rule. Later, the male heir would be king.

Ruling was a matter of organizing rituals to appease the deities. It was a matter of influence and barter that carried this out. What was appropriate was determined by history and augury or divination. As time passed the opinions of the king were recorded as law. Later, the rule of law superceeded the opinions of the king. Early on the king ruled in both the political and religious sphere as priest and king. Later these two functions were separated.

Question: What was the role?

Answer: They inspired great art.

Question: What similarities and differences do you notice between the Greek a nd Roman works in regards to the roles of women? Do the roles of women change f rom the Iliad to the Voyage of the Argo to the Aeneid?

Answer: This is not a simple question and needs some consideration. First look at the range of time. The Iliad was written in 750 BCE but discusses events of 500 years before. Appolonius of Rhodes wrote the Argonautica around 190 BCE but discusses events of about 1500 BCE. Vergil wrote the Aeneid about 50 BCE and discusses events of about 1250 BCE. We know nothing about Homer, a little about Appolonius, and a lot more about Vergil. Is Homer more credible because he is closer to the events? Were any of the authors trying to be accurate in their description of women, or were they more likely to be portraying women in a way that would be appealing in their time? And how much did the earlier authors affect later authors?

Now deal with the differences between the goddesses and the real women portrayed. In Homer the goddesses are free within their own realm and can be quite powerful. The real women are more sudued but still more powerful than the wives of Athenian citizens. Medea once was a goddess but in the Argonautica she is portrayed as a real witch. Is this comparable? Dido was a queen who ruled. Is not this quite different?

Question: What was life for a free Greek woman like?

Answer: There were no free Greek women. The most free women were hetari. The hetari were courtesans and prostitutes who were trained to entertain the men.

Any reference to cycedean art figures?

Answer: This could be cycladic, cytherian, Cyprian, Cyrenian.

Question: Information on Cycladean female art figures availability (replicas).

Question: Arachne?

Answer: Ovid tells the story of Arachne in Book VI of the Metamorphoses.

Question: Xanthippe. What was her part?

Answer: Xanthippe was a wealthy widow who married Socrates and enabled him to teach rather than work as a stone cutter.

Question: Compare the Aeneid with the Argonautica and the Iliad.

Answer: Read the material above. All three were epic poems by authors who lived much later that the events described. The Iliad is more of a history of a war, while the other two are more fictional adventures.

Question: What was life like for an average woman in ancient times?

Answer: Read answers for previous questions. You need to focus on one kind of woman. Conditions varied by country and culture. Conditions also varied for the various time periods.

Question: What are the famous Classical statues of Women?

Answer: The most famous statues feature women, the Venus de Milo, and the Nike of Samothrace. These are hellenistic though. Some statues from the golden age of Greece include:

• Niobid
• Niobe and her youngest daughter
• Battle of the Greeks and Amazons at the Mausoleum of Helicarnassus
• Venus of Cnidos
• Aphrodite Anadyomene
• Aphrodite of Cyrene
• Aphrodite of Syracuse
• Artemis of Gabii
• Venus Genetrix
• Capitoline Athena
• Vatican Demeter
• Athena Lemnia
• The velletri Athena
• Athena Parthenos
• The Varvakeion Athena

Question: I am doing a project on Greek pottery and I was just wondering if this site had any pictures of or information on Greek pottery?

Answer: There are different types of Greek pottery:

• Red-figure Style
• Chalcidian Black-figure Style
• Eastern Greek Polychrome Style
• Polychrome Laconian Style
• Attic Black-figure Style
• Fikellura Style
• Late Wild Goat Style
• Heraldic Group Style
• Late Corinthian Style
• Corinthian Style
• Proto-Corinthian Style
• Proto-Attic Style
• Geometric Style
• Proto-Geometric Style
• Mycenean Style
• Minoan Style

The Red-figure, Attic Black Figure, and the Corinthian are the most common. Which did you plan to study?

Question: What did the women of ancient Greece do?

Answer: Women's work, but you should read the rest of the page for details.

Question: Who is Kronus?

Answer: Cronus was the son of Uranus and Ge and the father of Zeus. He ruled the heavens until he was dethroned by Zeus.

Question: Pictures of women in the Persian war?

Answer: No women fought on the side of the Greeks. Queen Artemisia fought on the side of the Persians. An index of materials about her are at Click here

Amazons were often portrayed in Persian outfits as: Click here

Question: what is the role of women in greek art?

Answer: To inspire great art in many ways.

Question: What is the Golden City of Troy?

Answer: You are reffering to a poetic epithet used in both the Iliad and the Aenied. The reference is to Troy to emphasize its wealth. There actually was Gold at Troy as described in the following: Click here

Question: I was curious if you had any ideas who the goddess of vinyards and orchards is? Any ideas where I might find a picture and some information on her?

Answer: Dionysis is god of the vine. Athena is goddess of the olive. Quinces and love apples are sacred to Aphrodite. Demeter is the goddess of corn and harvest. Pictures are available on all of these. Which one would you like?

Question: Though in ancient Greece women were considered inferior to men and non-citzens, why were they so predominant in dramatic literature?

Answer: You are reading what the men say. But the women were very important, and the men had to deal with them. In their seclusion it is possible that they could ignore what the men were saying. The Greeks were very dependent on the women for babies and they had to humor the women if they were going to produce good ones. The women in Drama were modeled after women in former times that were not so secluded.

Question: Do you have any information or pictures on the Greek godess Rhea?

Answer: Rhea was queen of the universe. You might just picture her naked with stars dotting her body. This was the way the Egyptians pictured their sky goddess Nut.

Pictures of Rhea:
• Rhea carrying rock.
• Rhea=Cybele

Question: What are some examples of greek art?

Answers: Two of the greatest treasures of the Louvre, in Paris, France, the Nike of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo are fine example of Greek Art. These statues are common in advertisements for the Louvre as: Click here

Question: What did women super heros look like?

Answer: What follows is a list of women that are my suggestion and suitable pictures.

• The Furies Erinyes Click here
• Ariadne Click here
• Artemis Boston 10.185
• Atalanta Munich 596
• Athena Click rere
• Circe Mississ ippi 1977.3.116
• Clytemnestra Vie nna 3725
• Amazons Boston 95.48
• Medea Harvard 1960.315

Question: What was the role of women in Roman society?

Answer: The role of women in Roman society is much broader than in Greek Society. One of the reasons Cleopatra was defeated was that the ladies in Rome did not like her type of politics and the Roman ladies had the power to see that Octavian had the resources to defeat her. They were also able to pressure him enough that he would not succumb to her charms. Livia Drusilla (later Julia Augusta) was co-regent with her husband Octavian (Caesar Augustus). There are many great works of Roman literature that could be consulted, including Ovid's The Art of Love which will prove, for example, that ladies in Rome were able to frequent the theater, the circus, and even the Colesseum.

Question: Why don't Greek statues have eyes?

Answer: The ancient Greeks painted their statues in natural colors. The eyes were fitted with valuable stones such as lapis lazuli. In most cases the stones have simply fallen out over time. Some were stolen though.

Question: You seem to default to Athenian women as generic for Greek Women, were there not strong regional differences (for example, Spartan Women?)

Answer: you are probably right about this but I would not talk about the regional differences as strong. Because of the amount and quality of Athenian literature, the influence of Athens has been disproportionately large. In many cases, when we think of Greek, we think of Athens. Athens was the world center for higher learning for well over 1000 years, well after it was no longer significant politically. The other parts of Greece are important for their influence on Athens, but not usually for their influence on the rest of the world. The situation for women in Sparta was, indeed, different. Any potential mothers of citizens were freed of any activity that would interfere with their having babies and raising them. They had to exercise and eat well to accomplish this. They also could hold property.

Question: How were women represented in ancient Greek history verses the Etruscan women.

Answer: This question is very difficult because the Etruscan's left so little to know them by. We have no names of Etruscan women attached to any deeds whatever. There were no Etruscan historians to relate their events. Yet, as ancestors of the Romans their influence was very deep in Roman culture. The fact that important Etruscan deities were women and that women in Etruscan art are common and significant suggests that the influence of the Etruscans on the Romans may have been to improve the status of women toward that status that was enjoyed in the Roman Empire.

Question: What is a man to do?

Answer: Robert Graves answers this question In his White Goddess on page 539:

How should she then be worshipped? Donne anticipated the problem in his early poem The Primrose. He knew that the primrose is sacred to the Muse and that the 'mysterious number' of its petals stands for women. Should he adore a six-petalled or a four-petalled freak, a Goddess that is either more, or less, than a true woman? He chose five petals and proved by the science of numbers that woman, if she pleases, has complete domination of man. But it was said of the lotus-crowned Goddess in the Corinthian Mysteries, long before the phrase was applied to the ideally benign Father-god, 'Her service is perfect freedom'; and indeed, her habit has never been to coerce, but always to grant or withold her favours according as her sons and lovers came to her with exactly the right gifts in their hands--gifts of their own choosing, not her dictation. She must be worshipped in her ancient quintiple person, whether by counting the petals of lotus or primrose: as Birth, Initiation, Consummation, Repose, and Death."

Request: I need information about Theano.

Answer: There are several women named Theano. The most famous is probably the one mentioned by Homer in the Iliad in book VI:

"When they reached the temple of Athene in the Acropolis, the doors were opened for them by Theano of the lovely cheeks, daughter of Cisseus and wife of Antenor the charioteer, who had been made priestess of Athene by the Trojans. With a loud cry, in which all joined, the women lifted their hands to Athene, while Theano of the lovely cheeks took the robe, laid it on the knees of the Lady goddess, and prayed to the Daughter of almighty Zeus: 'Lady Athene, mighty goddess, Protectress of Cities; break Diomedes' spear. Bring him crashing down in front of the Scaen Gate. And we will sacrifice to you here and now in your shrine twelve yearling heifers that never felt the goad, if you take compassion on the city and the Trojans' wives and little children.' Thus Theano prayed; but for answer Pallas Athene shook her head (no)."

Question: why did the women in the greek society occupy an inferior position?

Answer: It was not so much inferior as separate. The men liked to think of the situation as one of ruler and ruled, but as Aristophanes says in Lysistrata: "A man gets no joy if he does not get along with his wife." The women had a separate domain because it was very important for the community for women to bear lots of babies. Many of their tasks were merely customary. What we have are writings by the men so what we get is their view. Even though women could not vote, every famous Greek man had a Greek mother to whom he owed his birth and early education. The women who had babies were probably treated pretty well. The women who did not marry, could not have babies, or who were slaves were the women who were truely inferior.

Question: female snake names?

Answer: Goddesses associated with snakes are Athena and Medusa. Scylla was a serpent monster that destroyed ships. Hydra was a many headed snake-like creature that Hercules fought.

Question: Who is the Greek god of Nature?

Answer: There are a number of deities associated with nature:

• Demeter is the goddess of corn and the harvest.
• Dionysus is god of wine and the harvest of grapes.
• Rhea is queen of the universe.
• Gaea is goddess of the Earth.
• Artemis was the Lady of wild Things.
• Pan was a god of shepherds.

Question: Who was a female goddess of the High Classical Period?

Answer: The most important goddesses of the High Classical Period were:

• Hera
• Pallas Athena
• Artemis
• Aphrodite
• Hestia

Question: how were women portrayed in ancient greece subsevient to men or ind ependent women?

Answer: The Greek men liked to think of them as subserviant but they were not portrayed that way. Amazons were totally wild and had to be conquered. The goddesses were powerful and got their way. Some women were raped and abused though.

Question: what type of art of women in greece?

Answer: The arts that the women of Greece participated in were weaving and embroidery, though there were also poets, sculptors, painters and musicians. They also sang and danced as a part of religious festivals.

Question: what did women slaves have to do in ancient greece?

Answer: In book VI of the Iliad Hector forsees a time when his wife will be a slave of the enemy. He says: "I see you there in Argos, toiling for some other woman at the loom, or carrying water from an alien well, a helpless drudge with no will of your own."

When Achilles heard that Patroclus was dead: "He cast himself down on the earth....The maidservants whom he ahd Patroclus had captured caught the alarm and all ran screaming out of doors. They beat their breasts with their hands and sunk to the ground beside their royal master." (Iliad Bk. XVIII) Later when Briseis saw Patroclus dead "...she gave a piercing scream, threw herself on his body and tore her breast and tender neck wand her fair cheeks with her hands...Thus Briseis wept, and the other women took up the lament, ostensibly for Patroclus, but each at heart for her own unhappy lot."

Later in Book XXIV, when Priam visits Achilles, "Therupon Achilles instructed his men and maidservants to put bedsteads in the portico and to furnish them with fine purple rugs, spread sheets over these and add some thick blankets on top for covering. Torch in hand, the women went out of the living-room and busied themselves at this task." Later, the additional service the Briseis provides is obvious because: "...Achilles slept in a corner of his well-made wooden hut with the beautiful Briseis at his side."

There are other passages that could be cited, but these give a good picture of what a female slave was used for.

Question: Compare the role of women duing ancient Greece with that of women t oday.

Answer: Answer: The role of women in ancient Greece changed dramatically as that society evolved, just as the role of women has evolved dramatically in recent years in the society of the U.S. The ability of women to produce babies has always been important, but during prehistoric time the contribution of the male was not clear. The role of women was related to the fertility of nature and women were held in awe as possessing a de vine nature. As the contribution of males were better known, steps were taken to assure determination of a baby's fa ther and women were kept in a basic isolation and servitude. The process of childbirth was considerably riskier than it is now and this only added to the challenge of being a women in those times. Women now can vote, own property, can sue, be educated, and can live independently of their families even to the point of raising their own children. Childbirth is less painful and less dangerous. Though the medical situation is much improved, women today do have ch allenges not faced by the ancient Greeks. Diseases such as breast cancer seem to result from our increased technol ogy, and venereal diseases are spread much more easily due to our advanced transportation. Though transportation bring s distant nations closer its pathways tend to fragment local neighborhoods and may inhibit the development of children. Advanced technologies of communication may expose children to influences that their parents can no lon ger control.

Question: what do women do?

Answer: Perhaps this poem by Anacreon of the 6th century BCE translated from the Greek will help you.

 Beauty

Horns to bulls wise Nature lends;
Horses she with hoofs defends;
Hares with nimble feet relieves;
Dreadful teeth to lions gives;
Fishes learn through streams to slide;
Birds through yielding air to glide;

Men with courage she supplies;
But to women these denies.
What then gives she? Beauty, this
Both their arms and armor is:
She, that can this weapon use,
Fire and sword with ease subdues.

Translated by Thomas Stanley

Question: Is there a change in the role of the woman in the hellenistic age w ith the rise of the individual?

Answer: Yes, there is a change. The best indication I have is the roles of the famous women during this period. Judy Chicago lists the following:

• d. 70 BCE Judea/Alexandra of Jerussalem/Ruler
• fl.120 BCE North Africa/Aretaphila of Cyrene/Liberator of her country
• 3rd c. BCE Egypt/Arsinoe II/ruler
• 69-30 BCE Egypt/Cleopatra/Ruler-Deity
• 4th c. BCE Macedonia/Cynane/Military leader
• fl. 350-320 BCE Macedonia/Olympias/Political figure
• ca. 240-300 Palmyra/Zenobia/Queen, warrior, military strategist and scholar.

During this period a number of women achieve real political power.

Question: where can i find a picture of one soilder on a horse

Answer: It may interest you to know that soldiers did not ride horseback until the time of Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE). At the time of the Trojan war they rode in Chariots. An image from 725-700 BCE is: Philadelphia 30-13-133. What you see here is just the driver, but not the warrior. In this picture you see the squire riding one of the horses that will be attached to the chariot for battle: Click here. Here is Athena, the goddess of war, getting ready to drive a chariot: Toledo 1956.69. An image of a charioteer and a warrior in a chariot is: Toledo 1950.261

The warriors at the time of the Trojan war who rode one soldier to a horse were the Amazons. They were female soldiers who always rode bareback. Several pictures follow which you can click on.

• Bos ton 95.48
• Philadelphia MS1752.
• Louvre F 203.
• Louvre MNC 624
• Wurzburg K 143.

One of the most famous images of a warrior on a horse is included in the Alexander mosaic at: Click here. Alexander is the warrior riding the horse at left.

Question: can i get pics?

Answer: Yes you can. To get pictures from this web page you click on the picture reference and the picture will appear. Or you can search for them by name on the web. Click on the following to see a a pic of Athena: Philadelphia MS5462

Question: How did Greek sculpture influence all sculptors of the ancient world?

Answer: The quality of Greek sculpture was recognized early and so it was widely copied. The conquests of Alexander helped to disseminate the Greek style throughout the Mediteranean and to the east as far as India. A study of art in India even reveals Greek styles forms and themes in ancient times. The influence of Greek art was so powerful it even stretched to China. Sometimes the copying was wholesale and literal. In other cases the pieces would be copied with a different emphasis, or with a part exchanged, such as a Venus with the head of a Roman matron. In some cases the precision of the Attic style is copied into mere prettiness. In some cases the copywork is all that remains of a Greek piece, but enough of the Greek art has remained that it has continued to influence arts up until the present.

Question: Why were women equal as gods, but not in life?

Answer: This is best explained by the change in societal values that occurred between the time the notion of the goddess was formed and the classical period when history became accurate. Religious ideas have always been conservative and reflective of some time in the past. In the past women were seen as more important because of their child bearing and because of the perceived connection between childbearing and the growth of crops. These notions were incorporated within the concepts of the goddess that were passed to the classical period.

Question: How was Athena involved in the Persian War?

Answer: Athena was the goddess of wisdom, and the Greeks made some very wise moves in defeating the Persians. The Persians consisted of a larger, richer, more numerous adversary. The odds were much against the Greeks in both invasions by the Persians.

Question: What are the values and beliefs of Greek culture that are reflected in the girl stele holding/kissing a pigeon?

Answer: There is a marble piece at New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, called "Stele of Young Girl from Paros" which is the image of a Young girl from Paros who seems to be kissing one of the pigeons she is holding. An evaluation of this image is found at: Click here An image and another evaluation is found at: Click here

These sites say a lot but not everything. Pigeons were an important source of meat for the ancient Greeks, and they raised a lot of Pigeons. Doves are sacred to Aphrodite and there is not a lot of difference between a pigeon and a dove. For these two reasons letting a young girl have pigeons as pets would be consistent with societal mores. Note the similarity to the following image of Aphrodite riding on a swan: Click Here pets would be consistent with societal mores. Note the similarity to the following image of Aphrodite riding on a swan: Click Here

Question: May I use some of the answers you gave as part of some information included in my research paper on the submissive role of a typical greek woman? If I were to use some answers you gave in the site as past of a research paper, how would i cite you. Where can i say you got your informantion from ?

Answer: You certainly may use any of the information in my web site in a rese arch paper but you must reference it properly. To do this you cite the URL of the web page You should also indicate the date you found the information. Were possible I have given source references which you should use. You should always use original sources such as Homer or Herodotus in preference to anything I have written. I have also provided a bibliography with a list of most of the works I have used at: Click here If you have some question about a source you should ask me about it. You must not copy any of the material into another web site. If you post your report on the web you may include only links to my pages and you can copy nothing.

Examples of proper citation are located at: Click here

Question: what is the most famous Greek sculpture ever?

Anwswer: The most famous sculpture is the Venus de Milo and it is Greek. see it at: Click here. It is at the Louvre museum in Paris, France. Information about the Louvre is at: Click here

Question: Were women treated equaly in ancient greek(as artists)

Answer: No they were not. Wives of citizens generally were able to participate fully in the weaving, sewing cooking arts. They were also able to participate in festivals were singing and dancing were involved. The hetaerae were able to participate more fully in singing, dancing and musical instruments. Women who participated in the other arts such as poetry were often ridiculed. This did not stop them though, and there are a number of very accomplished women on record. Sappho, a Greek poetess from about 600 BCE is perhaps the best poet ever. You can read more about the hetaerae at Click here.

Question: What was the connection, if any, between the olympian goddesses and women of greek society (this is for class).

Answer: The connections are complex. The behaviors of the goddesses are believed to represent the behaviors of women of ancient Greece well before the classical period. The ancient women were more respected and more powerful in society, but the society was not governed by laws. By the time laws were developed women were stripped of power and demeaned. But the ancient goddesses showed the classical women what a woman could do. Artists always depicted women in contemporary dress so the dress of the goddesses reflected the dress of the classical women contemporary to the artists.

Question: Did the goddesses of ancient greece reflect the women of the time?

Answer: The artists who depicted the goddesses used the women of the time to model the goddesses.

Question: Could you explain what evidence there is to show that women in anci ent greece had a higher status in archaic times, and why their status decreased as they moved towards classical times?

Answer: During the archaic period, women appeared in art in central positions with the women larger than the men. During the classical period women lose this central focus.

Question: Women as models

Answer: Yes. Who were the stylish women, the hetaerae or the wives. There are few hetaerae who are characters in the plays. The heroines are wives or sisters. When a goddess was clothed by an artist, did he use his wife as a model, a wife of some wealthy neighbor or a hetaerae. Would a wife stay home in rags while her husband was entertained by a well dressed Hetaerae. These are rhetorical questions that I would like to answer, but cannot because I need more information.

Request: I need an essay about the greek gods. If anybody can help me with th at, please e-mail it to me as soon as possible: GREEK GODS

Answer: Perhaps you should write an essay on Greek goddesses. They are quite interesting. It is possible that a Greek goddess invented handwriting. Why would a goddess have wanted to help humans in this way? Some say writing came from signs associated with fortune telling. Why would a Greek goddess have wanted to help humans to tell fortunes?

Question: Did a lot of women play a role in Greek art?

Answer: I think so. Even though Greek women in the classical period of Greece seem to have had a fairly restricted role, yet there are a number of famous Greek women who were artists, and the areas in which they did have a role: weaving, dance, and music, they are favorably portrayed.

Question: who is considered THE most powerful GOD-DESS today

Answer: If the response to this web site is any indication, Aphrodite is the most powerful, then comes Athena, then Hera. But you should understand the story of Sandro Botticelli before you attempt to use this power. Botticelli painted his beautiful picture of The Birth of Venus and it was wondered if he was a heretic for painting a nude picute of a Pagan Goddess. This picture can be viewed at Click here. His response was that he had not painted a picture of a pagan goddess, but rather a symbol of the love of the virgin mother for her son.

Question: Could you direct me to some sources (preferably books) that give ev idence of the archaic greeks being more of a matriarchal society and that descri be the change to patriarchy?

Answer: One by a woman and one by a man:

• Eisler, Riane, The Chalice and the Blade, HarperCollins, New York, 1987, ISBN 0-06-250289-1
• Graves, Robert, The White Goddess, Vintage Books, 1948

No one claims that archaic Greek society was matriarchal. The Amazons may have been matriarchal. The archaic Greeks were matrilineal and and more equalitarian. The stories about both Penelope and Jocasta support this idea. p>Question: role of the woman in ancient greece in means of politcal , economic ally, social status.

Answer: Women had only limited influence politically. Women made few products for export and did not participe in foreign trade. Women spent most of their time with the local needs. Weaving was for clothes, cooking for local meals. The social level of the wives was determined by the social level of her husband.

Question: how did woman live

Answer: 2500 years ago one of the best places in the world to live was in Athens Greece. In other great cities of the time, Babylon, or Tyre, or even Thebes in Egypt, there were despots to deal with. Athenians were very civic and proud of their city. There were festivals, theaters, and goods from all over the known world. Women were separated from the men, but this was more for their protection than for humiliation. Though they were restricted in their movement, the men had to give in to their demands because of the importance of their role in bearing babies for the culture. There was no indoor plumbing and the houses were made of cold stone. Food had to be made from scratch and wealthy people would have women slaves just to grind grain. Food was prepared in an open fire or baked in a brick oven. There was no soap so washing was more difficult. Water had to be brought into the house every day and wastes had to be carried out. There were many tedious tasks to perform and everyone had something to do. But when the work was all done there were stories to tell, and the Greeks of that time were some of the best storytellers the world has ever known. They also knew how to make beautiful things so even in their home they were surrounded with beauty. But the temples and public places were a wonder to behold and have been the envy of almost every civilization since.

Question: Where can I find examples of archaic art with women in central posi tions and classical art with a less prominent position for the women?

Answer: Classical images are not too hard to find so you should see what you can find. I am referring you to two images from Crete illustrating your archaic request and one from Athens illustrating your classical request.

• Gold ring from the royal tomb of Isopata, Knossos. Invocation of the goddess. c. 1500 BCE Museum of Heracleion
• Side panel of a stone sarcophagus painted in fresco, from a tomb near the palace of Hagia Triada, Crete, c. 1400 BCE.
• Pyxis lid in the Attic Red Figure style from 350 BCE illustrating the marriage of Herakles and Hebe.

Question: Were older women respected as keepers of wisdom?

Answer: The seclusion of women has the effect of making young women listen to older women, but men have no need to listen to women at all.

Question: I was wondering if you knew any places where I could find small enough pictures to print out for a school project of Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, and Pandora.

Answer:

• Art emis
• Athena
• Ath ena and Aphrodite
• Athena , Pandora, and Hepahestus

Question: how big were there breasts

Answer some pictures from the Minoan culture follow:

In Medea by Euripides Medea says: 
The most unhappy creature is a woman;
Who first must buy a husband with her wealth
And so acquire a master for her body,
For not to accept a man is even worse.
And here the greatest indecision lies,
Whether the one she takes is good or bad.
An admirable woman cannot flee,
Nor can she afterwards reject her husband.
To usages and customs that are new
She comes, amd since she never learned at home,
She has to be a phrot to divine
How best to deal with him who shares her bed.
Then, if we work things out successfully
And have our husbands living with us, not
Rebelling at the yoke thy wear, our lives
Are enviable--if not, e have to die.
A man, when burdened by his household, goes
Outside to end his boredom, and can turn
To comrades he grew up with and to friends,
But we must keep our eyes on one alone.
They say we lead a life devoid of danger
At home white they do battle with the spear,
But they are wrong. I'd three time rather stand
And face a line of shields than once give birth.

O Universal Mother, who dost keep
From everlasting thy foundations deep,
Eldest of things, Great Earth, I sing of thee!
All shapes that have their dwelling in the sea,
All things that fly, or on the ground devine
Live, move, and there are nourished--these are thine;
These from thy wealth thou dost sustain; from thee
Fair babes are born, and fruits on every tree
Hang ripe and large, revered Divinity!

The life of mortal men beneath thy sway
Is held; thy power both gives and takes away!
Happy are they whom thy mild favors nourish;
All things unstinted round them grow and flourish;
For them, endures the life-sustaining field
Its load of harvest, and their cattle yield
Large increase, and their house with wealth is filled.
Such honored dwell in cities fair and free,
The home of lovely women, prosperously;
Their sons exult in youth's new budding gladness,
and their fresh daughters free from care and sadness,
With bloom-inwoven dance and happy song,
On the soft flowers the meadow-grass among,
Leap round them sporting--such delights by thee
are given, rich Power, revered Divinity.

Mother of gods, thou wife of starry Heaven,
Farewell! be thou propitious, and be given
A happy life for this brief melody,
Nor thou nor other songs shall unremembered be.

(translated by Percy Bysshe Shelly)

"Their father and their mother dear died by the gods' high doom,
The maidens were left orphans alone within their home;
Fair Aphrodite gave them curds and honey of the bee
And lovely wine, and Hera made them very fair to see,
And wise beyond all women-folk. And holy Artemis
Made them to wax in stature, and Athene for their bliss
Taught them all glorious handiworks of woman's artifice."