Spartan Women: Sarah B Pomery

A Critical Book Review ascetical Women by Sarah B. Pomeroy It goes with out(p) saying that during the era of Ancient classics, the survives of human beingnesss and the things considered important vary greatly comp ard to those living today. more(prenominal) heavily centered on staminate-dominance and government, the land of Sparta was genuinely different from its ring Greek counter part. It was known for not only its great warriors, simply in addition for its unusual treatment of women. By unusual, I dont destine treatment of inequality or lack of superiority compared to men, because women were just as valued as men, if not more for they bared the gift of life. Spartan Women takes an inside look of the personal lives of Spartans, and in particular, Spartan women living during this era. From the very head start moment a Spartan woman is born, her treatment was remarkable to that of an other(a)(prenominal) Greek women. She is valued, because she brings the gift of life. T hroughout the book, Pomeroy examines the differences amid the lives of females paralleled to males. If we were to compare a female infant to a male infant born into Sparta, it was some(prenominal) more stressful to be a male. At birth, Spartans practiced infanticide on male infants, and deformed or reeking babies would be thrown into a chasm on Mount Taygetos.This is a form of eugenics, according to Pomeroy, and it ensured a unattackable military for the state, by only allowing physically steady infants the gift of being reared. Although every male was entitled to owning land and receiving an education, they must first run away the physical test put on by the state that categorise a physically fit male. Not all male babies were adapted of being warriors, but as long as it didnt consider obvious deformities, it passed the test. Female babies were not scrutinized in the same fashion as males were, since their primary(prenominal) objective wasnt to be warriors.They were still valued, because even weak females could still grow into generates of warriors. Progressing further into childhood, males are taught from the very start how to pay back strong warriors, and females are taught how to be rally mothers of strong warriors. Because their state revolved almost the physical superiority of their military, children are taught a variety of athletic skills. The discipline girls participated in was similar to boys, but less extreme. During puberty, girls participated in trials of strength that include racing, hurling the javelin, wrestling, and discus throwing.Girls were trained just as much as boys because it was believed that by having two parents that were physically goodly, the odds of producing even healthier take were greater. Along with training in sports, girls were also thoroughly educated. In other Greek states, women did not have nearly as much issue period as Spartan women did. Since the men of Sparta began warrior training at bestride 7, g irls started their education around the same time. They were cultured in the arts, in areas much(prenominal) as dancing, singing, and playing instruments.Spartan women also were granted the privilege of becoming literate. They were tell to write letters to their sons away at war. Although most Spartan women were espouse by the age of 18, some today would consider this rather young, other Greek women were married even younger. The sole duty in the purchase order of Sparta for women was to grow up physically healthy, give out educated, get married, and rear healthy children, in particular, healthy warriors. Newly married Spartan couples would not live together until they passed the age of 30, because it was believed that absence made the heart grow stronger.Stronger passions between each other resulted in a physically stronger child. Being a mother was the highest honor for women, and being a mother of a audacious warrior was even better. Pomeroy states many activities and roles women play in Spartan smart set, but the main running radical is that they lived in the shadow of men. From birth, they were evaluated and examined to determine if theyd be fit for motherhood. Growing up, theyre physically trained to rear strong children. They then are married at a young age, and discover children for the rest of their days.Granted, Spartan women had much more of a say on who they married and whether or not to bear children compared to other Greek women, but a women did not stand very high in society if she was not married to a man, or a mother. The authors thesis is not clearly stated at first, but by and by information a few chapters, it is easy to connect the running theme of motherhood. She consistently talks about girls striving to attract mates, and obtaining marital stead in order to bear children. For example, when girls and boys practiced their sports together, the girls were said to have been lightheaded and flirty in hopes of grabbing the boys att ention.Girls would participate in nude Olympics, so that potential partners could come and observe. After marriage, a girl is bedded with her husband the very first night some would call a little eager to become pregnant. And throughout adulthood, a woman plays the sole role of a mother who rears strong children to play out the same pattern. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have always taken an interest to Ancient Greek civilizations, and in particular, Sparta. The beginning of the book flowed pretty smoothly, until the author started to reference kit and caboodle that only ancient historians would be able to relate to.I am not fully familiar with the Spartan timeline or history, so when she referenced to received wars, philosophers or works of poetry, I would just skim over those parts and keep reading. Before reading the book, I hoped to learn the social roles women played in Spartan society, as well as what went on in their personal lives. I feel that this was accomplished after reading, and I gained worthful insight on what it was like to be a woman during that time period. I found myself talking to other people about the topics I was reading, because it blew me away how male-dominated their society was.Today, getting married and having children is only one of a million options a woman can choose to pursue. There are more things that I wish I could learn further, such as the thoughts and feelings of Spartan women. Although they portrayed a strong exterior similar to their male warrior counterparts, I wonder if deep down they were really unhappy with their consideration in society. This is not something that could possibly be easily figured out though, so I do not blame Pomeroy for excluding this kind of information. I have already recommended this book to others, and will continue to do so for those that are interested in Ancient Greek history.