#ancientsparta — Public Fediverse posts

Excerpt from: Female Property Ownership and Status in Classical and Hellenistic #Sparta

Stephen Hodkinson
University of Manchester
July 2020

The question of property-holding by Spartiate women is a matter of controversy, partly due to the paucity and brevity of explicit statements in the ancient sources. It is clear, however, that women were 3
significant holders of landed property. The key piece of evidence is #Aristotle’s statement (Politics 1270a23-
5), made in the later fourth century, that,

… approximately [or “nearly” (schedon)] two-fifths of all the land is possessed by women (esti tôn gynaikôn), both because of many heiresses (epiklêrôn) that appear, and because of the practice of giving large #dowries.

By “heiresses” Aristotle means daughters who inherited their parents’ property in the absence of any sons.
His reference to large landed dowries, however, indicates that even daughters with brothers could expect to
receive significant amounts of land at the time of marriage. Some scholars believe that these dowries were
voluntaristic marriage-settlements given by a girl’s parents, their size being a reflection of competition for
high-status marriages (Cartledge 1981, 98). My own interpretation is that the dowry was not merely a
voluntary gift but an anticipation of the daughter’s rightful share of the inheritance. My suggestion is that a Spartiate daughter had rights of inheritance similar to the inheritance rights of daughters specified in the Law
Code of Gortyn in Crete (Link, this volume): namely, half the portion given to a son.5 I have termed this inheritance system “universal female inheritance,” inasmuch as every woman gained some landed inheritance from her parents, either receiving a half-portion in a division with her brother(s) or inheriting as sole heiress
or jointly on equal terms with her sister(s). Aristotle’s comments above relate to inheritance of land. We do
not know whether Sparta’s inheritance laws reserved any items of property specifically for male heirs, as did
the Gortyn Code, which excluded town houses, the contents of untenanted country houses, and livestock
from the daughter’s half-portion. As we shall see below, however, there is evidence for female possession of
the full range of movable property mentioned above...

Source:
https://chs.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/women_property_hodkinson.pdf

#SpartanWomen #WomensRights #WomensStatus #History #AncientSparta #Histodons

Excerpt from: Female Property Ownership and Status in Classical and Hellenistic #Sparta

Stephen Hodkinson
University of Manchester
July 2020

The question of property-holding by Spartiate women is a matter of controversy, partly due to the paucity and brevity of explicit statements in the ancient sources. It is clear, however, that women were 3
significant holders of landed property. The key piece of evidence is #Aristotle’s statement (Politics 1270a23-
5), made in the later fourth century, that,

… approximately [or “nearly” (schedon)] two-fifths of all the land is possessed by women (esti tôn gynaikôn), both because of many heiresses (epiklêrôn) that appear, and because of the practice of giving large #dowries.

By “heiresses” Aristotle means daughters who inherited their parents’ property in the absence of any sons.
His reference to large landed dowries, however, indicates that even daughters with brothers could expect to
receive significant amounts of land at the time of marriage. Some scholars believe that these dowries were
voluntaristic marriage-settlements given by a girl’s parents, their size being a reflection of competition for
high-status marriages (Cartledge 1981, 98). My own interpretation is that the dowry was not merely a
voluntary gift but an anticipation of the daughter’s rightful share of the inheritance. My suggestion is that a Spartiate daughter had rights of inheritance similar to the inheritance rights of daughters specified in the Law
Code of Gortyn in Crete (Link, this volume): namely, half the portion given to a son.5 I have termed this inheritance system “universal female inheritance,” inasmuch as every woman gained some landed inheritance from her parents, either receiving a half-portion in a division with her brother(s) or inheriting as sole heiress
or jointly on equal terms with her sister(s). Aristotle’s comments above relate to inheritance of land. We do
not know whether Sparta’s inheritance laws reserved any items of property specifically for male heirs, as did
the Gortyn Code, which excluded town houses, the contents of untenanted country houses, and livestock
from the daughter’s half-portion. As we shall see below, however, there is evidence for female possession of
the full range of movable property mentioned above...

Source:
https://chs.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/women_property_hodkinson.pdf

#SpartanWomen #WomensRights #WomensStatus #History #AncientSparta #Histodons

Excerpt from: Female Property Ownership and Status in Classical and Hellenistic #Sparta

Stephen Hodkinson
University of Manchester
July 2020

The question of property-holding by Spartiate women is a matter of controversy, partly due to the paucity and brevity of explicit statements in the ancient sources. It is clear, however, that women were 3
significant holders of landed property. The key piece of evidence is #Aristotle’s statement (Politics 1270a23-
5), made in the later fourth century, that,

… approximately [or “nearly” (schedon)] two-fifths of all the land is possessed by women (esti tôn gynaikôn), both because of many heiresses (epiklêrôn) that appear, and because of the practice of giving large #dowries.

By “heiresses” Aristotle means daughters who inherited their parents’ property in the absence of any sons.
His reference to large landed dowries, however, indicates that even daughters with brothers could expect to
receive significant amounts of land at the time of marriage. Some scholars believe that these dowries were
voluntaristic marriage-settlements given by a girl’s parents, their size being a reflection of competition for
high-status marriages (Cartledge 1981, 98). My own interpretation is that the dowry was not merely a
voluntary gift but an anticipation of the daughter’s rightful share of the inheritance. My suggestion is that a Spartiate daughter had rights of inheritance similar to the inheritance rights of daughters specified in the Law
Code of Gortyn in Crete (Link, this volume): namely, half the portion given to a son.5 I have termed this inheritance system “universal female inheritance,” inasmuch as every woman gained some landed inheritance from her parents, either receiving a half-portion in a division with her brother(s) or inheriting as sole heiress
or jointly on equal terms with her sister(s). Aristotle’s comments above relate to inheritance of land. We do
not know whether Sparta’s inheritance laws reserved any items of property specifically for male heirs, as did
the Gortyn Code, which excluded town houses, the contents of untenanted country houses, and livestock
from the daughter’s half-portion. As we shall see below, however, there is evidence for female possession of
the full range of movable property mentioned above...

Source:
https://chs.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/women_property_hodkinson.pdf

#SpartanWomen #WomensRights #WomensStatus #History #AncientSparta #Histodons

Excerpt from: Female Property Ownership and Status in Classical and Hellenistic #Sparta

Stephen Hodkinson
University of Manchester
July 2020

The question of property-holding by Spartiate women is a matter of controversy, partly due to the paucity and brevity of explicit statements in the ancient sources. It is clear, however, that women were 3
significant holders of landed property. The key piece of evidence is #Aristotle’s statement (Politics 1270a23-
5), made in the later fourth century, that,

… approximately [or “nearly” (schedon)] two-fifths of all the land is possessed by women (esti tôn gynaikôn), both because of many heiresses (epiklêrôn) that appear, and because of the practice of giving large #dowries.

By “heiresses” Aristotle means daughters who inherited their parents’ property in the absence of any sons.
His reference to large landed dowries, however, indicates that even daughters with brothers could expect to
receive significant amounts of land at the time of marriage. Some scholars believe that these dowries were
voluntaristic marriage-settlements given by a girl’s parents, their size being a reflection of competition for
high-status marriages (Cartledge 1981, 98). My own interpretation is that the dowry was not merely a
voluntary gift but an anticipation of the daughter’s rightful share of the inheritance. My suggestion is that a Spartiate daughter had rights of inheritance similar to the inheritance rights of daughters specified in the Law
Code of Gortyn in Crete (Link, this volume): namely, half the portion given to a son.5 I have termed this inheritance system “universal female inheritance,” inasmuch as every woman gained some landed inheritance from her parents, either receiving a half-portion in a division with her brother(s) or inheriting as sole heiress
or jointly on equal terms with her sister(s). Aristotle’s comments above relate to inheritance of land. We do
not know whether Sparta’s inheritance laws reserved any items of property specifically for male heirs, as did
the Gortyn Code, which excluded town houses, the contents of untenanted country houses, and livestock
from the daughter’s half-portion. As we shall see below, however, there is evidence for female possession of
the full range of movable property mentioned above...

Source:
https://chs.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/women_property_hodkinson.pdf

#SpartanWomen #WomensRights #WomensStatus #History #AncientSparta #Histodons

Excerpt from: Female Property Ownership and Status in Classical and Hellenistic #Sparta

Stephen Hodkinson
University of Manchester
July 2020

The question of property-holding by Spartiate women is a matter of controversy, partly due to the paucity and brevity of explicit statements in the ancient sources. It is clear, however, that women were 3
significant holders of landed property. The key piece of evidence is #Aristotle’s statement (Politics 1270a23-
5), made in the later fourth century, that,

… approximately [or “nearly” (schedon)] two-fifths of all the land is possessed by women (esti tôn gynaikôn), both because of many heiresses (epiklêrôn) that appear, and because of the practice of giving large #dowries.

By “heiresses” Aristotle means daughters who inherited their parents’ property in the absence of any sons.
His reference to large landed dowries, however, indicates that even daughters with brothers could expect to
receive significant amounts of land at the time of marriage. Some scholars believe that these dowries were
voluntaristic marriage-settlements given by a girl’s parents, their size being a reflection of competition for
high-status marriages (Cartledge 1981, 98). My own interpretation is that the dowry was not merely a
voluntary gift but an anticipation of the daughter’s rightful share of the inheritance. My suggestion is that a Spartiate daughter had rights of inheritance similar to the inheritance rights of daughters specified in the Law
Code of Gortyn in Crete (Link, this volume): namely, half the portion given to a son.5 I have termed this inheritance system “universal female inheritance,” inasmuch as every woman gained some landed inheritance from her parents, either receiving a half-portion in a division with her brother(s) or inheriting as sole heiress
or jointly on equal terms with her sister(s). Aristotle’s comments above relate to inheritance of land. We do
not know whether Sparta’s inheritance laws reserved any items of property specifically for male heirs, as did
the Gortyn Code, which excluded town houses, the contents of untenanted country houses, and livestock
from the daughter’s half-portion. As we shall see below, however, there is evidence for female possession of
the full range of movable property mentioned above...

Source:
https://chs.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/women_property_hodkinson.pdf

#SpartanWomen #WomensRights #WomensStatus #History #AncientSparta #Histodons