The Olympic Games Originated in 776 BC in the Ancient Greek City-State of Olympia. The

ATHLETICS

The Olympic Games originated in 776 BC in the ancient Greek city-state of Olympia. The games were originally part of a religious festival and they brought together athletes from all over Greece. Winners were honoured with crowns of olive leaves.

Unmarried women were allowed to attend the games, but married women were not. No women were allowed to compete.

Every four years (in between Olympics) there was a running race held for girls. The race was a 160 m sprint and the winner was awarded with a crown of olive leaves.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

People in Ancient Greece believed the gods wanted men to rule over women. This was called the will of the gods.

Women were not allowed to vote and they were not allowed to buy or sell anything. Women could not lend money or own property. If a woman’s husband were to die, his property would not go to the woman. Instead, the property would be given to the woman’s sons. Women also did not have the right to take someone to court.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN SPARTA

In Sparta, women were treated quite differently than other places in Ancient Greece. The men were often busy with military training or they were off fighting wars. This left the women to run things while the men were away. In Sparta women could own property, take someone to court, and take part in politics.

WOMEN’S QUARTERS

In ancient Greece, women of the upper classes were not allowed to leave their homes. While men were out practicing sports, studying, or working, women were at home running the household. If a woman’s husband had friends over for dinner, she would have not been allowed to join them. Instead, she had to stay in the women’s quarters. A few times each year, women were allowed to leave their homes for religious festivals.

Unlike boys, girls were not allowed to go to school. Aside from running the household, it was also a woman’s job to educate her daughters. Mothers taught spinning, weaving, reading, writing, and math to their daughters.

OIKOS

Families in ancient Greece consisted of a husband, wife, and children. If the family had enough money, the household would also include slaves. The wife, children, and slaves were called oikos, which literally means “household”. A man was in charge of his oikos and all members of the oikos were expected to obey him.

Men spent a great deal of time away from the home. Mostly, men were in town educating themselves or practicing athletics. While the men were gone, women ran the household. Women educated their daughters while slaves took care of most of the household chores. If a family was rich enough, a slave’s job would include going to school with the boys to ensure that they were working hard.

CHILDREN

When a new baby was born, it was the father’s job to decide whether or not the family would keep the baby. A baby boy would grow into a man who could work and afford to take care of his parents, as they grew old. A baby girl would grow into a young woman and when she reached a suitable age to be married, her parents would have to give expensive gifts, called a dowry, to her new husband. It was not uncommon for unwanted babies to be left to die outdoors where anyone could take them to be raised as slaves.

MARRIAGE

Marriages in ancient Greece were not based on love. Instead, they were legal agreements arranged by the parents of the bridge and the groom. The bride’s father was required to give the groom and his family a dowry, money or gifts in exchange for taking care of his daughter. This was sometimes very expensive.

In Athens, it was acceptable for couples to divorce; however, a man could only initiate a divorce because women were not allowed to bring cases to court. Upon divorcing, custody of children was almost always given to the man.

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