Why No Women in the Ancient Olympics

During the classic period in Greece (500–323 BCE), women were allowed to participate in sporting events in Sparta. There were two other events for sportswomen from other parts of Greece, but women werent allowed active participation in the Olympics. Why not? Possible Reasons Besides the obvious—classical Greece was a chauvinistic culture who believed that womens place was definitely not on the sports field: Women were second-class people, like slaves and foreigners. Only free-born male Greek citizens were allowed (at least until the Romans began to exert their influence).It is likely that women were considered a pollutant, like women on ships in more recent centuries.Women had their own games (Hera games) starting in the 6th century where they competed dressed.Olympic performers were naked and it would have been unacceptable to have respectable women performing naked in mixed company. It may have been unacceptable for respectable women to view naked male bodies of non-relatives.There could have been a risk of touching sexually-charged body parts. Not a problem for prostitutes.Athletes were required to train for 10 months—a length of time most married or widowed women probably didnt have free.The poleis (city-states) were honored by an Olympic victory. It is possible that a victory by a woman would not be considered an honor.Being defeated by a woman would probably have been a dis grace. Participation of Women However, as early as the early 4th century BCE, there were women who participated in Olympic games, just not the public festivals. The first woman recorded to have won an event in the Olympics was Kyniska (or Cynisca) of Sparta, the daughter of Eurypontid king, Archidamus II, and the full sister of King Agesilaus (399–360 BCE). She won the four-horse chariot race in 396 and again in 392. Writers such as the Greek philosopher Xenophon (431 BC–354 BC), the biographer Plutarch (46–120 CE), and Pausanius the traveler (110–180 CE) track the evolving perception of women in Greek society. Xenophon said Kyniska was persuaded to do it by her brother; Plutarch commented that the male members used her to embarrass the Greeks—see! even women can win. But by the Roman period, Pausanias described her as independent, ambitious, admirable. Kyniska (her name means puppy or small hound in Greek) wasnt the last Greek woman to participate in the games. Women of Lacedaemon won Olympic victories, and two prominent members of the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt—Belistiche, courtesan of Ptolemy II who competed in the 268 and 264 games, and Berenice II (267–221 BCE), who ruled briefly as queen of Egypt—competed and won chariot races in Greece. By Pausanias era, non-Greeks could participate in the Olympic games, and women acted as competitors, patrons, and spectators, Classic Period Greece In essence, the issue seems to be the obvious one. The classic period Olympic games, whose origin was in funeral games and stressed military skills, were for men. In the Iliad, in the Olympic-like funeral games for Patroclus, you can read how important it was to be the best. Those who won were expected to be the best even before winning: Entering the contest if you werent the best (kalos kagathos beautiful and best) was unacceptable. Women, foreigners, and slaves were not considered to be tops in arete virtue—what made them best. The Olympics maintained an us vs. them status quo: until the world turned. Sources   Kyle, Donald G. The Only Woman in All Greece: Kyniska, Agesilaus, Alcibiades and Olympia. Journal of Sport History 30.2 (2003): 183–203. Print.---. Winning at Olympia. Archaeology 49.4 (1996): 26–37. Print.Pomeroy, Sarah. Spartan Women. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2002.  Spears, Betty. A Perspective of the History of Womens Sport in Ancient Greece. Journal of Sport History 11.2 (1984): 32–47. Print.Zimmerman, Paul B. The Story of the Olympics: B.C. to A.D. California History 63.1 (1984): 8-21. Print.

Antigone and Romeo and Juliet Essay - 2396 Words

Compare/Contrast Antigone and Romeo and Juliet There are many similarities and differences between Antigone by Sophocles and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The adults in both of the books have the difficult job of controlling the actions of the younger characters. Their decisions have a crucial effect on the outcome of the books, for the younger characters that they guide are the main figures in their stories. Antigone’s King Creon and Romeo and Juliet’s Prince Escalus and Lord Capulet share but also have unique strengths, weaknesses, leadership qualities, and crisis-managing techniques. A specific strength of Creon, the major adult character in Antigone, is his ability to make his opinions known to the entire kingdom. One†¦show more content†¦Lord Capulet also had very strong opinions in Romeo and Juliet, which he clearly stated to his family. Since he was the head of the Capulet house, his orders were expected to be followed. Capulet expected his daughter, Juliet, to obey the rules set in place. He made sure that his child would be married to the County Paris by saying, â€Å"She shall be married to this noble earl (III,iv,21)† Capulet was certain that his wish would be followed by his daughter. Another strength exhibited by Creon was that although the realization came too late in the book, he understood his judgments were wrong in the end. The king decided to release Antigone after talking to his prophet, Teiresias. As he was visiting the cell in which Antigone was imprisoned, he saw that both Antigone and his son, Haimon, had committed suicide. Upon seeing them dead and after learning that his wife had also died, Creon realized, â€Å"I have been rash and foolish./I have killed my son and my wife. (238)† This showed that Creon had realized that their deaths were because of his edict and his lack of understanding. Prince Escalus also realized at the end of Romeo and Juliet that the children’s deaths were partially his fault. By banishing Romeo and keeping the lovers apart, the Prince could eliminated Romeo’s plans to talk to the Friar. Consequently Romeo’s plans to reunite with Juliet at the end of the book were foiled, and the lovers didShow MoreRelatedTragic Characters from Antigone529 Words   |  2 PagesTragic Characters from Antigone The story of Antigone begins with the death of Oedipus. His sons Polyneices and Eteocles battled against each other for control of the city Thebes, which resulted in the death of both of them. Creon, brother of Iocasta and uncle of Oedipus, becomes the king. He declared an honorable burial for Eteocles, who fought for Thebes, and no burial for Polyneices since he fought against Thebes. 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My Migrant Father Essay Example For Students

My Migrant Father Essay Twelve years ago on March 21, 2001, a thirty-two year old; dark skin, youthful, optimistic Haitian male and his three children exited an American Airlines flight at Fort Lauderdale International airport. He walked out of the airlines holding onto the thoughts of endless opportunities in the â€Å"Great Nation† he had migrated to. What he sought was the American Dream- the dream to become rich and to live a comfortable lifestyle in the U. S while sending money back to his wife in Haiti. The hopes of endless opportunities lead him to quit his job as a police chief in the small Haitian town of Port-de-Paix, leaving his wife and family members behind. Uprooting his nine and four year old daughters along with his two year old son to move from all of which they knew, to the foreign city of Miami, Florida. Only to end up losing sight of his Dreams, he struggled working multiple dead end jobs at a time moving from house to house, seeking help from other family members, and going in and out of college but never finishing. For him the American Dream was a constant struggle. Ironically, he once said to me â€Å"I struggled more here than I did living in Haiti. At the time I thought it was laughable, Haiti a developing nation with more than half the population living in poverty compared to the U. S, well really there was no comparison in my mind. I realized as an immigrant with three children he had to start all over from scratch. Being a police chief and a College Graduate in Haiti meant nothing. His degree was useless in the U. S. I recall him once saying to me â€Å"Pa fe menm jan ak mwen†- translated into English means â€Å"Don’t be like me† in our native language (Haitian Creole). Growing up I never really understood those words until February of my freshman year in high school. The first time I had cause my father’s disappoint. I joined the college prep program IB (International Baccalaureate) and my grades began to go down the drain. They sent a notice to my house, stating my GPA of a 2. 3 at the time and the chance that I may be removed from the program. His disappoint caused me to step up and work harder in school to earn better grades, I wanted to be the daughter that he could brag to all of our family members about. He came here with me so I could get a good education, so I could be a doctor, lawyer, or an engineer, not to be a failure. What was the point of his struggles if he or his children didn’t become successful in the United States? My Dad is the most influential person in my life, he encourages me to do and be more in life. To not have to struggle the way he did. He came to the United States to give me and my two other siblings something we couldn’t get in Haiti â€Å"endless possibilities†. And as we grow older it is our decision whether we will take the opportunity that he has given us. My American Dream is to end my father’s struggles, to show him that all the sacrifices he made were not done in vain.