An Accurate Representation of Last Friday through the Medium of Moving Pictures

Me and Hamish:



Everyone else who submitted it early:




It's strange but now that I'm finally here, writing my last ever Classics Special Study blog post....




...Ha. Haha.



Yeah no.
















This is Lani Gerbi signing off, for the last time.

I finished my paragraphs!!!! (And slightly altered my question...)

What it says on the box.

To what extent did the differences between the socio-cultural constructs of Sparta and the other Greek poli influence the ideals of female beauty that each upheld during the Classical period?

The ultimate paradigms of female beauty differed almost antithetically between the cultures observed by the Spartans and all other Greek poli. In spite of Greece’s general condemnation of the way in which Spartan women conducted themselves, they were famed for their beauty. Homer referred to Sparta as, “kallignyaika”[1], “the land of beautiful women”[2]; it was common knowledge also that, “the face that launched a thousand ships” [3], belonged to Helen of Sparta. These endorsements clearly show the admiration other poli felt towards these women, but it is important to note that the Spartans themselves, though still reverent of beauty, were practical rather than romantic in their ideals. The Spartan perception of female beauty centred on the physical manifestation of athleticism and fitness, and not on the artificial enhancement or subjugation of women, as was the case in other parts of Greece. Furthermore, although the Spartans were fixated on physical prowess to the point of narcissism, they were not inclined to material vanity in the contemporary sense, as evidenced by the rulings of Lycurgus, which forbade women from wearing, “any kind of makeup or enhancements”[4]. Even coiffure was not a matter of beauty in Sparta; the Spartans used hairstyles to, “[distinguish] maidens from the newly married women, for the latter… wore their hair short”[5], and were not concerned with the elaborate braids and twists favoured by other women. The other Greek poli, however, had very different standards of female beauty to Sparta. In spite of the open admiration with which the rest of Greece, particularly the men, observed the Spartan women, other poli’s distaste for women participating in politics, sport, or any other activity in which they opposed men or demonstrated their capacity for free thought, caused them to prefer women who showed little evidence of physical exertion and much evidence of oppressive chauvinism and, “ingrained misogyny”[6]. Women were expected to wear a long, sleeveless article called the chiton that fell to the ankles and concealed the legs, in contrast with the Spartans, who wore short, practical skirts that earned them the derogatory appellation, “thigh flashers”[7]. Pale, healthy skin was a particular mark of beauty in a female, as were dark eyes, red lips, heightened colour in the cheeks, and, for a time, “connected eyebrows”[8]. Demos and aristoi women universally wore their hair long. The majority of Greek women also wore jewellery in the forms of, “earrings, bracelets and necklaces”[9].  Aristoi women commonly wore elaborate pieces of jewellery, and women of the demos wore simpler jewellery; however, a raped woman would, “no longer be allowed to wear jewellery”[10]. It is evident, then, that there are substantial differences between the epitomes of beauty that were upheld by the Spartans and all the other Greek poli.

The conflicting archetypes of beauty observed by Sparta and the other Greek poli were undoubtedly the result of their different socio-cultural structures. The female athleticism that was uniquely encouraged in Sparta was undoubtedly due to its, “totalitarian”[11], militaristic society. As the life of every male citizen was devoted to military action, Spartans being, “liable for military service to the age of 60”[12], strength in men was valued to the point where the state, “took upon itself the right to determine a new baby’s viability”[13]. It was common practice to commit infanticide by abandoning male infants in, “a place near Mount Taygetus designated for that purpose”[14], if they were deemed to be too weak to make a good soldier. The Spartans believed that only a strong mother could bear a strong son, and so women in Sparta were required to be fit and athletic. The simplicity of the Spartans’ hairstyles is another result of the Spartan military system, specifically of their practice of mentorship through compulsory pederasty. At the age of nine, boys were assigned a mentor: an older man to whom the entirety of their education, outside of what the public system provided, was entrusted; this included their sexual education, due to the Spartan belief that, “erotic relationships between members of the same sex were...educational”[15]. Because of this mentorship system, Spartan men were universally unused to female lovers by the time they were expected to marry. To solve this problem, a Spartan girl would be made as boyish as possible in preparation for her marriage; her hair would be cut short and she would be dressed in a boy’s tunic for the wedding night. Because of this, short hair denoted a married woman and long hair an unmarried one. In other Greek poli, the standards of female beauty were based on an almost entirely different set of societal conventions and restrictions, the only point of commonality between them being the women’s fundamental reproductive function. Despite this, other poli did not share Sparta’s belief in the importance of female strength and fitness, and, by contrast, valued the hallmarks of privilege and inactivity. Pale skin was considered beautiful because it alluded to wealth; except for the purposes of attending weddings, funerals, and certain religious festivals, or briefly visiting female neighbours, aristoi women rarely ventured out in public, whereas demos and helot women were obligated to work outdoors and visit the agora, often in the stead of the aristoi women. The aristoi women were, “virtually imprisoned in their homes”[16], within the gynaikonitis, a specific set of rooms reserved for the, “wives, daughters, and female slaves”[17], of an oikos. This rigid seclusion of aristoi women from all men was due to the patriarchal societal constructs of Classical Greece, and the resultant imperativeness of producing undeniably, “legitimate heirs”[18]. Similarly, fragility and slenderness of form was encouraged as it indicated that a woman was not required to perform manual labour, which was thought to be the activity of helots. As in Sparta, certain hairstyles signified the marital status of the wearer; unmarried women wore their hair loose, while married women conventionally wore elaborate braids and hairpieces; “only slave women would wear their hair short”[19]. The, “imposition of headgear…and other trappings”[20], was considered a necessity in order to bind and regulate women, who were thought to be, “pollutable, polluted, and polluting in several ways at once”[21], owing to their being, “as individuals”[22], “formless”[23], and, “without firm control of personal boundaries”[24]. Ergo, it is apparent that the divergence of the paradigms of female beauty adhered to by Sparta and the other Greek poli was the consequence of their distinct socio-cultural differences.

The methods by which the women of Sparta and the other Greek poli attempted to attain the ideals of beauty favoured by their respective societies were equally influenced by their socio-cultural differences. The athleticism admired in Spartan women was the result of their militaristic ideology, and the polis ensured that all citizen women attained the muscular physique required of them through the enforcement of the public education system in a similar (if less murderous and more reasonable) manner to the way it was imposed on males. All female Spartan citizens received a public education that was, “prescribed by the state… at state expense”[25], wherein they were required to, “run and wrestle and throw the discus and javelin”[26], in addition to their academic endeavours. At the age of eighteen, girls were required to undergo a compulsory test of fitness and skills, and if they passed, they were, “assigned a husband and allowed to return home”[27]; if they failed, however, they would, “lose [their] rights as a citizen”[28], and become members of the perioikos. In further consideration of the Spartan ideology, Spartan women were well-nourished, unlike the women of other poli, who were, “regularly given less food than men”[29]. In all other poli, beautification was a personal endeavour. The poli had no involvement in the development of women; thus, beauty was aligned more to the economic status of individual women, as opposed to the equal opportunity enjoyed by citizen women in Sparta. Because of the association between pale skin and wealth, women frequently used cosmetics, including, “white lead (which was toxic)…[and] chalk”[30], to, “lighten their complexion”[31]. Other facial beautifications went in and out of mode throughout the period; “connected eyebrows”[32], achieved by judicious use of, “dark powder”[33], were considered highly fashionable at one stage. Powders, most of which were comprised of soot, were used for various other things, including the darkening of the eyelids and the rouging of the cheeks, while crushed mulberries were used to colour the lips. Therefore, it is clear that the socio-cultural differences between Sparta and the other Greek poli had a profound effect on the ways in which the women of both cultures attempted to attain the paradigms of beauty observed by their respective poli.

 

---

[1] ‘The Spartans. The battle for supremacy’, in History Heads, http://moodle.shcs.nsw.edu.au/pluginfile.php/2251/mod_resource/content/0/Sparta/documentary/spartans_episode_2.pdf, (Accessed 7 August 2013).

[2] ibid.

[3] Christopher Marlowe > Quotes > Quotable Quote, http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/55215-was-this-the-face-that-launched-a-thousand-ships-and-burnt, (Accessed 8 August 2013).

[4] The Women of Sparta: Athletic, Educated, and Outspoken Radicals, http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/123/, (Accessed 6 August 2013).

[5] S. B. Pomeroy, S. M. Burstein, W. Donlan and J. T. Roberts, Ancient Greece. A Political, Social, and Cultural History, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999, P. 142.

[6] D. D. Gilmore, Misogyny, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Misogyny.aspx, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[7] P. S. Baker, The Role of Women in Ancient Sparta, http://www.helium.com/items/1843769-a-look-at-the-women-of-ancient-sparta, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[8] ibid.

[9] ibid.

[10] H. Wojtczak, British Women’s Emancipation since the Renaissance. The History of Female Oppression,  http://www.historyofwomen.org/oppression.html, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[11] S. B. Pomeroy, op. cit., P. 138.

[12] S. B. Pomeroy, ibid., P. 139.

[13] ibid.

[14] ibid.

[15] ibid. P. 145.

[16] W. J. O’Neal, The Status of Women in Ancient Athens, http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/447/. (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[17] M. K. Mason, Ancient Athenian Women of the Classical Period, http://www.moyak.com/papers/athenian-women.html, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[18] J. C. Meyer, Women in Classical Athens. In the Shadow of North-West Europe or in the Light from Istanbul, http://www.hist.uib.no/antikk/antres/Womens%20life.htm, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[19] ibid.

[20] A. Carson, ‘Putting Her in Her Place: Women, Dirt, and Desire’, in Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient Greek World, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1990, P. 156.

[21] ibid. P. 158—9.

[22] ibid. P. 159.

[23] ibid.

[24] ibid.

[25] S. B. Pomeroy, op. cit., P. 141.

[26] ibid., P. 142.

[27] Culture, http://www.crystalinks.com/greekculture.html, (Accessed 9 September 2013).

[28] ibid.

[29] ibid., P. 141.

[30] Fashion in Ancient Greece, http://historylink101.com/2/greece3/fashion.htm, (Accessed 8 August 2013).

[31] ibid.

[32] ibid.

[33] ibid.

I think by now this is pretty self-explanatory...

Sup, guys?

Here's the edited (and hopefully final) version of the first two paragraphs. The third and intro and conclusion are still being workshopped. One question: does anyone remember the Greek term for middle-class citizens? If anyone still has that in their notes or something, it would be much appreciated. <3 

Explore how the differences between the socio-cultural constructs of Sparta and the other Greek poli influenced the ideals of female beauty that each upheld during the Classical period, and how those ideals are reflected in Classical Greek literature.

The ultimate paradigms of female beauty differed almost antithetically between the cultures observed by the Spartans and all other Greek poli. In spite of Greece’s general condemnation of the way in which Spartan women conducted themselves, they were famed for their beauty. Homer referred to Sparta as, “kallignyaika”[1], “the land of beautiful women”[2]; it was common knowledge also that, “the face that launched a thousand ships” [3], belonged to Helen of Sparta. These endorsements clearly show the admiration other poli felt towards these women, but it is important to note that the Spartans themselves, though still reverent of beauty, were practical rather than romantic in their ideals. The Spartan perception of female beauty centred on the physical manifestation of athleticism and fitness, and not on the artificial enhancement or subjugation of women, as was the case in other parts of Greece. Furthermore, although the Spartans were fixated on physical prowess to the point of narcissism, they were not inclined to material vanity, as evidenced by the rulings of Lycurgus, which forbade women from wearing, “any kind of makeup or enhancements”[4]. Even coiffure was not a matter of beauty in Sparta; the Spartans used hairstyles to, “[distinguish] maidens from the newly married women, for the latter… wore their hair short”[5], and were not concerned with the elaborate braids and twists favoured by other women. The other Greek poli, however, had very different standards of female beauty to Sparta. In spite of the open admiration with which the rest of Greece, particularly the men, observed the Spartan women, other poli’s distaste for women participating in politics, sport, or any other activity in which they opposed men or demonstrated their capacity for free thought, caused them to prefer women who showed little evidence of physical exertion and much evidence of oppressive chauvinism and, “ingrained misogyny”[6]. Women were expected to wear a long, sleeveless article called the chiton that fell to the ankles and concealed the legs, in contrast with the Spartans, who wore short, practical skirts that earned them the derogatory appellation, “thigh flashers”[7]. Pale, delicate skin was also a particular mark of beauty in a female, and women frequently used cosmetics, including, “white lead (which was toxic)…[and] chalk”[8], to, “lighten their complexion”[9]. Other facial beautifications went in and out of mode throughout the period; “connected eyebrows”[10], achieved by judicious use of, “dark powder”[11], were considered highly fashionable at one stage. Powders were also used for various other things, including the darkening of the eyelids and the rouging of the cheeks. It was customary for female citizens to wear their hair long, as, “only slave women would wear their hair short” [12]. The majority of Greek women also wore jewellery in the forms of, “earrings, bracelets and necklaces”[13].  Aristoi women commonly wore elaborate pieces of jewellery, and [FIND THE WORD FOR MIDDLE CLASS] women wore simpler jewellery; however, a raped woman would, “no longer be allowed to wear jewellery”[14]. It is evident, then, that there are substantial differences between the epitomes of beauty that were upheld by the Spartans and all the other Greek poli.

The conflicting archetypes of beauty observed by Sparta and the other Greek poli were undoubtedly the resuld of their different socio-cultural structures. The female athleticism that was uniquely encouraged in Sparta was undoubtedly due to its, “totalitarian”[15], militaristic society. As the life of every male citizen was devoted to military action, Spartans being, “liable for military service to the age of 60”[16], strength in men was valued to the point where the state, “took upon itself the right to determine a new baby’s viability”[17]. It was common practice to commit infanticide by abandoning male infants in, “a place near Mount Taygetus designated for that purpose”[18], if they were deemed to be too weak to make a good soldier. The Spartans believed that only a strong mother could bear a strong son, and so women in Sparta were required to be fit and athletic. This dictate was enforced upon women in a similar (if less murderous and more reasonable) manner to that imposed on males. At the age of eighteen, girls were required to undergo a compulsory test of fitness and skills, and if they passed, they were, “assigned a husband and allowed to return home”[19]; if they failed, however, they would, “lose [their] rights as a citizen”[20], and become members of the perioikos. In this interest, all female Spartan citizens received a public education that was, “prescribed by the state… at state expense”[21], wherein they were required to, “run and wrestle and throw the discus and javelin”[22], in addition to their academic endeavours. In further consideration of the Spartan ideology, Spartan women were well-nourished, unlike the women of other poli, who were, “regularly given less food than men”[23]. The simplicity of the Spartans’ hairstyles is another result of the Spartan military system, specifically of their practice of mentorship through compulsory pederasty. At the age of nine, boys were assigned a mentor: an older man to whom the entirety of their education, outside of what the public system provided, was entrusted; this included their sexual education, due to the Spartan belief that, “erotic relationships between members of the same sex were...educational”[24]. Because of this mentorship system, Spartan men were universally unused to female lovers by the time they were expected to marry. To solve this problem, a Spartan girl would be made as boyish as possible in preparation for her marriage; her hair would be cut short and she would be dressed in a boy’s tunic for the wedding night. Because of this, short hair denoted a married woman and long hair an unmarried one. In other Greek poli, the standards of female beauty were based on an almost entirely different set of societal conventions and restrictions, the only point of commonality between them being the women’s fundamental reproductive function. Despite this, other poli did not share Sparta’s belief in the importance of female strength and fitness, and, by contrast, valued the hallmarks of privilege and inactivity. Pale skin was considered beautiful because it alluded to wealth; except for the purposes of attending weddings, funerals, and certain religious festivals, or briefly visiting female neighbours, aristoi women rarely ventured out in public, whereas [THE WORD FOR LOWER CLASS] and helot women were obligated to work outdoors and visit the agora, often in the stead of the aristoi women. The aristoi women were, “virtually imprisoned in their homes”[25], within the gynaikonitis, a specific set of rooms reserved for the, “wives, daughters, and female slaves”[26], of an oikos. This rigid seclusion of aristoi women from all men was due to the patriarchal societal constructs of Classical Greece, and the resultant imperativeness of producing undeniably, “legitimate heirs”[27]. Similarly, fragility and slenderness of form was encouraged as it indicated that a woman was not required to perform manual labour, which was thought to be the activity of helots. As in Sparta, certain hairstyles signified the marital status of the wearer; unmarried women wore their hair loose, while married women conventionally wore elaborate braids and hairpieces. The, “imposition of headgear…and other trappings”[28], was considered a necessity in order to bind and regulate women, who were thought to be, “pollutable, polluted, and polluting in several ways at once”[29], owing to their being, “as individuals”[30], “formless”[31], and, “without firm control of personal boundaries”[32]. Ergo, it is apparent that the divergence of the paradigms of female beauty adhered to by Sparta and the other Greek poli was the consequence of their distinct socio-cultural differences.

---

[1] ‘The Spartans. The battle for supremacy’, in History Heads, http://moodle.shcs.nsw.edu.au/pluginfile.php/2251/mod_resource/content/0/Sparta/documentary/spartans_episode_2.pdf, (Accessed 7 August 2013).

[2] ibid.

[3] Christopher Marlowe > Quotes > Quotable Quote, http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/55215-was-this-the-face-that-launched-a-thousand-ships-and-burnt, (Accessed 8 August 2013).

[4] The Women of Sparta: Athletic, Educated, and Outspoken Radicals, http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/123/, (Accessed 6 August 2013).

[5] S. B. Pomeroy, S. M. Burstein, W. Donlan and J. T. Roberts, Ancient Greece. A Political, Social, and Cultural History, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999, P. 142.

[6] D. D. Gilmore, Misogyny, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Misogyny.aspx, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[7] P. S. Baker, The Role of Women in Ancient Sparta, http://www.helium.com/items/1843769-a-look-at-the-women-of-ancient-sparta, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[8] Fashion in Ancient Greece, http://historylink101.com/2/greece3/fashion.htm, (Accessed 8 August 2013).

[9] ibid.

[10] ibid.

[11] ibid.

[12] ibid.

[13] ibid.

[14] H. Wojtczak, British Women’s Emancipation since the Renaissance. The History of Female Oppression,  http://www.historyofwomen.org/oppression.html, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[15] S. B. Pomeroy, op. cit., P. 138.

[16] S. B. Pomeroy, ibid., P. 139.

[17] ibid.

[18] ibid.

[19] Culture, http://www.crystalinks.com/greekculture.html, (Accessed 9 September 2013).

[20] ibid.

[21] S. B. Pomeroy, op. cit., P. 141.

[22] ibid., P. 142.

[23] ibid., P. 141.

[24] ibid. [FIND PAGE NUMBER]

[25] W. J. O’Neal, The Status of Women in Ancient Athens, http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/447/. (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[26] M. K. Mason, Ancient Athenian Women of the Classical Period, http://www.moyak.com/papers/athenian-women.html, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[27] J. C. Meyer, Women in Classical Athens. In the Shadow of North-West Europe or in the Light from Istanbul, http://www.hist.uib.no/antikk/antres/Womens%20life.htm, (Accessed 10 September 2013).

[28] A. Carson, ‘Putting Her in Her Place: Women, Dirt, and Desire’, in Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient Greek World, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1990, P. 156.

[29] ibid. P. 158—9.

[30] ibid. P. 159.

[31] ibid.

[32] ibid.