Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

THE GREEK WOMAN

the very reason that in Greek literature the woman generally only plays a subordinate part and particularly “the old maid”. But in Aristophanes (Lysisty., 596) we already read the complaint of Lysistrata: “ But the woman’s time is short, and if she do not take advantage of it no one is willing to marry her, but she sits looking for omens.”

The counterpart of the old maid is to a certain extent the childless married man; in both cases the object which is implied in the nature of the case is not attained. It is hence quite natural that in Greece recourse was had often enough to adoption, only that at that time there was an additional reason, namely, the wish to leave someone behind who might bring sacrifices and gifts of affection to the tombs.

Plutarch (Lycurg., 16) tells us that according to the law of Lycurgus in Sparta it was usual to expose feeble and deformed children in a gorge on mount Taygetus. Even in Athens this was not unheard of, especially in the case of girls (Moeris Atticista, 102; Aristoph., Frogs, 1288 (1305), with the Scholiast ; as to the girls, see Stobzeus, Sermones, 77, 7 and 8). The children were exposed in large clay vessels, yet generally in such a manner that the helpless little wretches could be found by other people, who were perhaps childless or specially fond of children, and brought up. It also happened that people sold their children, especially, as Dion Chrysostom says (Oratio, xv, 8), to such women as had not had any, but did not want to lose their husbands. The newer comedy, in which the motive of the supposititious child frequently recurs, proves that this was not at all rare. Neck-chains, rings, or other distinctive marks (Euripides, Ion, 1430 ; Longus, i, 2; Aristenetus, Epistule, i, 1; Heliodorus, 11, 31 ; iv, 8) were also given to exposed children, by which they could later be identified according to circumstances; such identification plays also an important part in comedy.

Before we describe the details of a Greek marriage