Notes PDF

Preview

Summary

These detailed notes are in-class notes from the lectures given throughout the semester. ...

Description

August 27, 2014 1)

Ancient Greece

Notes on “Studying in Classical Antiquity”

How can the terms sex and gender be defined? What are some of the biological and sociological factors that influence definitions of gender? The definition changes throughout time. Women are portrayed more as being physical beings and not ones that contribute to society. “Gender was shaped by social factors like age, sexual identities, status/class, wealth and race/ethnicity.” The biological differences determine what roles they will carry out in society. Gender is determined by society.

2)

How do modern def.’s of gender differ from those of the classical past? Gender was fixed and had a similar definition to sex. Modern definitions are more fluid and have more factors other than biology. Gender might be manifested, expressed and performed also expanded academic perspectives and approaches. Status, wealth and ethnicity is part of it…

3)

What was the influence of feminism on the study of classical antiquity in the 1970s through 1990s? How did the field change during this period? There was a second wave of feminism and starting seeing it more mainstream. They started studying classical antiquity to see how men have progressed and equality is becoming more of a big thing. The field changed because women started educating themselves about feminism, people became more open-minded to the idea and got people talking.

4)

What types of sources are available as evidence for the study of gender in classical antiquity, and what information do they provide? Why are many of these sources problematic? “The biggest problem is the way in which the production of our evidence is skewed: most of it was generated by or for elite, or relatively high-status, adult men”. Politicians wrote these stories in the past of what they should do and not technically what they exactly did.

5)

Why is it important to study women and gender in classical antiquity? How is the study of gender relevant to the modern world? “A good reason for studying gender in the past is to make us remember how far we have travelled, as well as how far there is still to go”. The study of gender is relevant to the modern world because we can question the roles of people in society.

September 3, 2014

Notes on “Men, Death and the Meaning of Life”

1)

Why are hero stories important in understanding a society’s conceptions of masculinity and a man’s place within society? - Sets up an ideal hero with specific characteristics like bravery & strength

2)

Briefly summarize the Iliad and the role of Achilles in the epic. Within the confines of the story, how does Achilles show himself to be a hero? Do you think Achilles is a hero? - Goes through 3 separate cycles of withdrawals - It is about Agamemnon have a quarrel over a girl and Achilles leaves - They are out in Troy because Helen was taken - Achilles isn’t a hero because he’s overconfident and tries to be a god - However, thanks to him they were able to defeat the Trojans

3)

How do Achilles’ relationships with other people, notably his mother, Thetis, Patroclus, and Agamemnon, define his character? - Achilles respects his mother Thetis, however shows attitudes of immaturity - Agamemnon and Achilles have a clash of egos - Achilles doesn’t respect authority - Achilles wasn’t loyal enough to his friend in trying to protect him and lets him take the fall

4)

How does Achilles act as a boundary crosser? How do his actions in this role help us to define Greeks ideas of masculinity? - Achilles isn’t thinking like a man, he thinks like an animal - When he was younger, he crossed the line and acted more like a god

5)

What role does death and mortality play in evolution of heroes like Gilgamesh and Achilles? What is the function of mortality in the definition of human life, specifically the life of a hero? - Help define decision making once reach mature level - Mortals are always limited and put to their place by the gods - Heroes end up isolating themselves from the human world - Mother figure always encourages a divine mind-set, which represents immaturity - Gods give their lives meaning by intervening between the lives of mortals

6)

How did the Greeks define a good man? What are his attributes and how does he behave? Is a bad man simply the opposite of a good man or does he have distinct characteristics? - Strength, honor and maturity - Achilles wasn’t the opposite of a good man, but rather he hast certain characteristics that may have been blown out of proportion - Ephebe: a group of men that have passed puberty but are not men yet - You become a full man around 20, and the age of 18 is when you detach from your mother

7)

How does the Hymn to Demeter compare to the Iliad and to the Epic of Gilgamesh? How does the hymn define Persephone and Demeter as heroines and how does this compare to the life of an average Greek woman? - The connections between the relationships of mother-daughter vs. mother-son are different - Females preserved that continuity in the relationship when Persephone became Hades’ bride.

September 10, 2014

Notes: “Signifying Difference: the Myth of Pandora

1)

What is the story of Pandora? Who creates her and why? What is her relationship to man? What happens after her birth and what is her legacy? In what poet’s work does her story first appear? - First appeared in theogeny - Zeus and Prometheus were fighting and he stole fire - Zeus punishment to man was Pandora - She would be irresistible to man and cause grief - Described as the “beautiful evil” - She is made by earth and dirt

2)

How does the myth of Pandora compare to the story of Adam & Eve in the Bible? How do the two accounts differ in their portrayal of women, their role in society, and their relationship to men? - Both created by male figures - Both blamed for eating the fruit - Humans received punishments

3)

How does Pandora function in the Theogony as a signifier for the separation between gods and men? - She is the dividing line between mortals and gods - She was divined by many gods yet has no parents - Reputation of deception as a trap, which is humanistic and godlike - Because of her, humans are brought suffering, death, etc.

4)

Who is Hekate? What is her role in the Theogeny? What are her attributes and what are her relationships to gods and men, notably Zeus and Pandora? - Hekate is the goddess who was honoured by Zeus and existed before him (Titans, previous generation) - Hekate was athletic and was into war and horsemanship; helped create Pandora - Hekate is the only one of the Titans her maintains her powers over god and men - She is the goddess of crossroads. She has hellhounds and ghost, basically between life and death. - The theogeny is unusual because it puts her up as a powerful figure, even though there is no reason discovered for it. - People think Hekate is the one that saved Zeus from being swallowed by Cronus

5)

According to Zeitlin, what is the role that Pandora and Zeus play in the definition of the roles of men and women in sex and reproduction? - Women are seen as a punishment for me. - They both have unusual births

6)

How does the myth of Pandora provide a template for the relationship between mortal men and women? - Zeus initially brought down Pandora as a cursed being because Prometheus created fire for mankind. - Three gods blessed her - The jar helps demonstrate how men treat women as objects - Women are depicted as using up the men’s resources without giving up anything - Men must embrace women if they want children

September 17, 2014

Notes: “The Iliad”

1) Who is Helen of Troy? What are her defining characteristics? What are her relationships with Aphrodite, Paris, and Menelaus? What role does she play in the Iliad? Helen is defined as being the person who caused the Trojan War. She is known for being the most beautiful woman and was given these gifts by Aphrodite. Helen was given to Paris as a gift from Aphrodite. The problem is that she was already married to Menelaus. She is a semi-god.

2) According to Blondell, how does Helen compare to Achilles? How do the two act as foils for each other in the Iliad? She is the female version of Achilles. They both have divine powers. He has physical strength and she has mental strength by using her beauty. Achilles needs Helen if he wants to be this war hero. She is the reason why he is fighting this war. They are symbols of the ultimate masculine and feminine person. Both are compared to gods. They are the beginning and the end of the war.

3) How is Helen's beauty characterized in the Iliad, and how do different characters react to her beauty? Why is her beauty both valuable and dangerous? She was protected during the war because she was seen as a valuable object. In the Iliad, she was never described physically, rather the reaction and the sexual arousal she brought on to others. She is seen as the modest wife, even though she is erotically desirable.

4) Do the characters in the Iliad blame Helen for the Trojan War? Does she blame herself and does she feel guilty? What role does this blame fill within the story? Do you think she is to blame? The other characters don’t seem to blame her, especially Priam. The Trojans wanted to keep her safe. However, she does blame herself. The Trojan woman, however, does blame herself. The women aren’t weak to her charm; they see her past her pretty face, while the men can't. The Trojan women just get loss and suffering.

September 22, 2014 1)

Notes: Women in the Archaic Period.

What is polis? How were they government, and what were their economic and social systems? What were the roles of women in the polis, and how were their contribution viewed? What were women’s legal rights in the polis? Polis is an agricultural area with an urban center ran from many families. The men were the overseers of everything. During the late period, the law surrounding women were really repressive and control their sexual behavior. Another important factor is property. If her husband died, she wouldn’t have anything, It means city-state. Athens and Sparta are the most powerful

2)

What is an oikos? How were they organized and why was the family important in archaic Greece? What were the roles of women in the oikos? Oikos is a household house and basic unit of family. They usually have farms and slaves. Women in oikos had no rights or a status. They also didn’t get the inheritance. They were seen as men’s escorts and just spent time cooking and cleaning. Ginos is the greek word for women. Men lived separately from women because upper class would usually go to war.

3)

How were marriages arranged in archaic Greece? How much say did a woman have over her marriage and wedding? How were virginity and adultery viewed in the period? Were there different standards for men and women? The prospective groom arranged marriages and the prospective bride’s guardian and the wife went to live with the husband’s family. Marriages were created to have political alliances. Women had little to no say in their own futures. They were seen almost as like a transfer of property. There is a double standard in adultery. When a woman cheated on a man, the man she cheated with is the woman that will be punished. Also, if a man cheats on her wife, nothing ever really happens because he has the freedom to do so. The emphasis of this was to prevent a love child. Women always had to have a guardian; they couldn’t represent themselves in court.

4)

What types of activities did women undertake on a daily basis in the Archaic period? What were their economic, religious and social responsibilities? Did women in different social classes have different responsibilities? How did the activities of free women compare to enslaved women? Upper-class women were in the house and looking over the slaves. The lower-class would sometimes have to work if their men didn’t make enough money. They did spinning and weaving as domestic work. They were completely dependent on men. Upperclassman had less freedom of where they can go due over watching the drops and domestic duties, while lower-class women had fewer restrictions. Women weren’t given any of political power; it was nonexistent in the earlier period, but gradually changed later. Girls get married when they are 14. Men could stay in their twenties and still living with their families. Being a priestess are one of the very few jobs that women can have. In society, it is very powerful to overlook everything that is going on in the household.

5)

How are women portrayed in the work of the lyric and the melic poets? Do female and male poets depict women differently? Which of the poems in the text is your favorite? Males portrayed the women in a harsher scale. Women in Greece were given a certain amount of importance based on their beauty. Therefore, when someone starts losing their beauty, they loss her value. Women were portrayed as sexual encounters. They were seen as a public art. They were performed at weddings, oral poetry, not read only in books.

6)

How were Sappho and her poems viewed in ancient Greece? What do the poems of Sappho and their reception tells us about women in ancient Greece? How was homosexuality viewed in Greece? Sappho is the most famous female poet. She expressed pain and sorrow. She was praised but looked down upon for homosexuality. It was acceptable for men. Her poems educated women and written for them before they were married. She shows the emotional life of women and the relationship between writer and woman. It is not as fascinating by the sexual life of male poets.

7)

What are kouroi (koural) and korai? How do these sculptural representations of men and women compare to one another? Kourai were women that were clothed and not do that much movement and portray this innocence in women. The korai are nude and are male. These statues are life-size or larger. They are dedicated in sanctuaries to the gods or grave markers. These are the most common statues from the Archaic period. For Kouros, the pose is always the same; usually seen as late teens early twenties by the hand by their side and had their hair long. The kore had their feet side to side and a one hand up serving.

Women in the Archaic Period Archaic – ca. 650 – 490 BC Classical – ca. 490 – 323 BC Helllenistic – ca. 323 – 31 BC

Trojan War – ca. 1180 BC Homer’s Hesoid (8th C) BC

What Does it Mean to be Greek?  Common Ancestry  Religion  Cultural practice (way you interact in society)  Knowing Homer (expectation from genders, how to behave in war, etc)  Language (Greek)

September 29, 2014

Notes: Women in Classical Athens

1) What was the legal status of women in Classical Athens? She always had a guardian over her and women could never represent themselves in politics or in any public involvement. An epikieros is like an heiress; they would be the placeholder if their was no male heir. Women don’t participate in government, but do have legal rights. The law does abide them. They oversee the household and may gain wealth with this. 2) How were Athenian marriages arranged in the Classical period? What were the typical ages of the bride and groom? What was the Athenian citizenship law, and why is it relevant to a discussion of marriage practices? Marriages were arranged by the kyros. The relationship was more between father-in-law and groom. Men were in there thirties and women were 14-18. Both parents had to be from Athens for the child to have a citizenship in Athens. They did this so democracy wouldn’t grow. It also may be a way protecting the Athenian women by ensuring their marriages. There was more emphasis on dowry than in the Archaic period. The relationships between the married couple were not seen as a relationship of equals nor do they tend to have anything in happen. It was a partnership. 3) What were the rites associated with an Athenian wedding? What symbolism? Rituals? Some of the rites included Ongui to talk about money, property, etc. Like rice, people would throw fruit for fruitfulness in having children. The climax of the wedding was the lifting of the veil. 4) What was the legal status of concubines in Athens? How did their legal and social positions differ from those of wives? Concubines are free women and had to go the same process as marriages. Their male relatives made the calls. They can have children; hold property and no seen less than a wife when it comes to the sexuality. It would be everything a marriage would intake without having a marriage. If both were citizens, the children can be as well. However, not a lot were citizens. Concubines and wives lived in the same floor. Some women did this when they didn’t have a dowry for marriage. 5) Discuss the practices associated with adultery and divorce in Classical Athens. The guy who a wife cheats on is seen as the seducer. The husband has the right to kill the seducer and not be convicted. Husbands committing adultery wasn’t a big deal. Rape is seen as only violating the body. However, seduction is violating the mind, which is seen as a worse crime. 6) Describe the life of a typical Athenian girl from birth to marriage. How were girls treated as babies and children? Were they educated outside of the home? What were their relationships with males? Were males and females segregated from one another? If so, to what extent? It was rare for women to be unmarried. A babies health was very important. Daughters weren’t fed as well as sons. Boys and girls would play together until 6 year olds when boys go to school. To expose a child means that the couple wants to dispose them; you leave them on the mountainside on 5th day. 7) What activities were undertaken by women in the home? Did women ever work outside of the home? The activities women were part of depended on their status of wealth. For the majority of women, they would stay mostly indoors. Their chores included watching over slaves, and domestic chores. If they were married to an alien, they would tend to have to leave their house. Also, a lot of men liked that they stayed indoors so other men wouldn’t see their wives. Women would weave: wool and linen. Metics were foreigner from different lands that they came to Greece to master in something. They had no voice in court. They had a lot of freedom. Older women were most likely to be widowed. A lot became midwives. “Your passed your prime”, not respected as much but have more freedom. October 1, 2014 Notes: “Beautiful Evil: Pandora and the Athena Parthenos”

1) Who was Pandora? Where did her story appear? Was she a popular subject in Greek art?  Beautiful progenitor of all woman, cause of evil in world; Pandora means all gifts, explanation to ejaculation  Appears in Theogony by Hesiod, Prometheus stole fire and gave to mortal men, Zeus took revenge, Hephaestus molded from ground, Athena put on a crown with cunning things like beasts on it, basically she was created as an evil for men for men to work hard and women just consume all of their hard work  Possible 2: one an earth goddess and the other first woman, product of artifice of Olympian gods  Pandora was not mentioned for a very long time after Hesiod  Greek artists were not interested in her  Statue made of earth and water by craftsmen  Pandora = sexual desire, gave sexual pleasure to men  ***reason why men have to work to survive, she introduces epya to the world, and Athena, in her capacity as Athena ergane, goddess of work. P.183 2) What is the character of Athena? How does role/character compare to that of the average Athenian woman? How does her character rel...