Gallery Walk of Women in Ancient and Classical Cultures
Overview:
Students will work in groups to complete a Gallery Walk where they will examine various
documents and sources concerning the role of women in ancient and classical cultures.
Materials:
1. Copies of “displays” (documents) – enlarge if possible and place on the classroom
walls
2. Markers
3. Response Forms
Directions:
1. Place displays around the room. Each display should have a “response form” located
near each display.
2. Divide students into groups (five groups) and assign each group one display to
begin.
3. Students will examine the first display and respond on the “response form.” Students
should keep notes on their handouts.
4. After about five minutes, students should be instructed to rotate to the next display.
They will examine the next display and the corresponding response form. Students
will discuss the responses and add a new response. Students will continue to rotate
around the room until all groups have visited all displays.
5. Student groups will then take turns “reporting out” from the last display they
examined. Students will read through all the responses as they share with the class.
6. Students will then return to their individual seats and complete summary individually.
Ancient Egypt
Women’s Legal Rights
The Egyptian woman's rights extended to all the
legally defined areas of society. From the bulk of the
legal documents, we know that women could manage
and dispose of private property, including: land,
portable goods, servants, slaves, livestock, and money
(when it existed), as well as financial instruments (i.e.,
endowments and annuities). A woman could
administer all her property independently and
according to her free will. She could conclude any
kind of legal settlement. She could appear as a
contracting partner in a marriage contract or a divorce
contract; she could execute testaments; she could free
slaves; she could make adoptions. She was entitled to
sue at law. It is highly significant that a woman in
Egypt could do all of the above and initiate litigation
in court freely without the need of a male
representative. This amount of freedom was at
variance with that of the Greek woman who required a
designated male, called a kourios, to represent or stand
for her in all legal contracts and proceedings. This
male was her husband, father or brother.
http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/peo
ple/gender.htm
From Women in Ancient Egypt
http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptianwomen.html
The Hereditary Princess,
Great of Favor,
Mistress of happiness,
Gay with the two feathers,
At hearing whose voice one rejoices,
Soothing the heart of the King at home,
Pleased at all that is said,
The great and beloved wife of the King,
Lady of the two lands, Neferfefruaten Nefertiti,
Living forever.
-
Amenhotep IV, poem about his wife,
Queen Nefertiti
The funerary stela at left
depicts a priest making offerings to the goddess
Isis, identified in the text as the "divine mother."
http://www.umich.edu/~kelseydb/Exhibits/WomenandGend
er/relig.im.html
Egypt Response Form
What can you determine about the role of women from these exhibits?
What questions do you have about the role of women that is not answered in the exhibits?
Mesopotamia
Prayer to the Goddess Ishtar
Hammurabi’s Law Code
Gracious Ishtar, who rules over the universe,
Heroic Ishtar, who creates humankind,
who walks before the cattle, who loves the
shepherd...
Without you the river will not open
the river which brings us life will not be
closed,
without you the canal will not open,
the canal from which the scattered drink
will not be closed...
Where you cast your glance, the dead awaken,
the sick arise;
The bewildered, beholding your face, find the
right way...
"If conspirators meet in the house of a woman wine-seller,
and these conspirators are not captured and delivered to the
court, the wine-seller shall be put to death."
Assessing Women’s Lives in Mesopotamia
http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/l
esson2.html
Women’s Work in Mesopotamia
It was generally the women who went into
the fields to plant, weed, or harvest,
depending on the season. Their earliest
methods of planting and weeding involved
using sticks for digging. For harvesting, the
women would use a sickle, a tool with a
semicircular wood handle with blades of
polished stone inserted into it. That tool
enabled them to cut handfuls of wheat
sheaves at one stroke.
ABC-CLIO
"If a 'sister of a god' [nun] open a tavern, or enter a tavern to
drink, then shall this woman be burned to death."
"If a man wishes to divorce his first wife who has not borne
him sons, he shall give her the amount of her purchase
money and the dowry which she brought from her father's
house, and let her go."
"If a woman quarrel with her husband, and says: "You are not
congenial to me," the reasons for her prejudice must be
presented. If she is guiltless, and there is no fault on her part,
but he leaves and neglects her, then no guilt attaches to this
woman, she shall take her dowry and go back to her father's
house."
From the earliest times in ancient
Mesopotamia, women who came from a sector of
society that could afford to have statues made placed
their likenesses in temple shrines. This was done so that
their images would stand in constant prayer while they
continued to go about their daily chores. This female
worshipper statue wears a standard fashion of the time,
a simple draped dress with her right shoulder bare and
hair done up in elaborate braided coils.
Ancient Mesopotamia: The Role of Women
The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/MESO/
women.html
Mesopotamia Response Form
What can you determine about the role of women from these exhibits?
What questions do you have about the role of women that is not answered in the exhibits?
Hinduism
She never eats before I eat, and never bathes
before I bathe. She rejoices if I rejoice, and
becomes sorry when I am sorry. When I am away
she becomes cheerless, and when I am angry she
ceases not to speak sweetly. Ever devoted to her
lord and ever relying upon her lord, she was ever
employed in doing what was agreeable to and
beneficial for her lord. Worthy of praise is that
person on earth who owns such a spouse. That
amiable wife knows that I am fatigued and
hungry. Devoted to me and constant in her love,
my spouse is exceedingly sweet-tempered and
worships me devoutly.
Hindus hold rivers in great reverence. The rivers
are female divinities, food and life bestowing
mothers. As such, they are prominent among the
popular divinities represented in the works of art
of the classical period. The most holy of rivers, the
best known and most honored, is the Ganga or
Ganges. She is personified as Goddess Ganga.
Hindu Women and Religion
http://mailerindia.com/hindu/veda/index.ph
p?hinduwomen
In the Mahabharata (Hindu text),
a husband describing her truly devoted wife
If a woman either brings forth no live children,
or has no male issue, or is barren, her husband
shall wait for eight years before marrying
another. If she bears only a dead child, he has
to wait for ten years. If she brings forth only
females, he has to wait for twelve years. Then,
if he is desirous to have sons, he may marry
another... If a husband either is of bad
character, or is long gone abroad, or has
become a traitor to his king, or is likely to
endanger the life of his wife, or has fallen from
his caste, or has lost virility, he may be
abandoned by his wife.
Sati is the traditional Hindu practice of a
widow immolating herself on her husband's
funeral pyre.
"Sati" means a virtuous woman. A woman who
dies burning herself on her husbands funeral fire
was considered most virtuous, and was believed
Kautilya (Hindu Statesman)’s
to directly go to heaven, redeeming all the
Arthashastra (250 B.C.)
forefathers rotting in hell, by this "meritorious"
act. The woman who committed Sati was
worshipped as a Goddess, and temples were
built in her memory.
Dr. Jyotsna Kamat
http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/hindu/sati.htm
Hindu Response Form
What can you determine about the role of women from these exhibits?
What questions do you have about the role of women that is not answered in the exhibits?
Rome
There was also the harsh marital severity of
Gaius Sulpicius Gallus. He divorced his wife
because he had caught her outdoors with
her head uncovered: a stiff penalty, but not
without a certain logic. 'The law,' he said,
'prescribes for you my eyes alone to which
you may prove your beauty. For these eyes
you should provide the ornaments of beauty,
for these be lovely: entrust yourself to their
more certain knowledge. If you, with
needless provocation, invite the look of
anyone else, you must be suspected of
wrongdoing.
On the whole, women did not have leading public
positions. Their participation in
public festivals was by watching and being present.
Plebeian women were a little freer in
their participation, because their reputation was not
so much at stake. They could
participate in the games, parades, circuses, picnics,
and drunken revelries much more
freely. Some temple worship rituals were for
patrician women only, and the plebeian
women countered with their own private temple
worship activities. Many of the public
cults were foreign cults that were incorporated into
the calendar. Many women
From Husbands' punishment of wives in participated more freely in these foreign cults as
early Rome (Valerius Maximus, Memorable there were not all the ritualistic rules
Deeds and Sayings 6.3.9-12, 1st cent. A.D. associated with them.
L)
Lesa Young’s Role of Plebian and Patrician
Women in the Roman Republic
Painting depicting Roman women playing
musical instruments
http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/Ro
mans/Wright/clothing.html
As the
responsibilities
of women
became more
significant to
their husbands'
prestige and
political clout,
so education
for women
became
increasingly
more common.
Unlike Athens, it became acceptable in
Rome for girls as well as boys to receive
elemental education, to have read
"improving" Roman and Greek authors and
to be able to discuss political affairs. Boys
then went on to higher studies, including
rhetoric, the passport to political careers,
while women married in their mid-teens.
Throughout the Empire, however, a woman
cherished her ability to read and write both
as a mark of excellence and as a sign of
her status.
http://web.mac.com/heraklia/Dominae/rep
ublican_women/index.html
Rome Response Form
What can you determine about the role of women from these exhibits?
What questions do you have about the role of women that is not answered in the exhibits?
Han China
On the third day after the birth of a girl the
ancients observed three customs: first to place
the baby below the bed; second to give her a
potsherd [a piece of broken pottery] with
which to play; and third to announce her birth
to her ancestors by an offering. Now to lay the
baby below the bed plainly indicated that she
is lowly and weak, and should regard it as her
primary duty to humble herself before others.
To give her potsherds with which to play
indubitably signified that she should practice
labor and consider it her primary duty to be
industrious. To announce her birth before her
ancestors clearly meant that she ought to
esteem as her primary duty the continuation of
the observance of worship in the home.
Lu Mu's son Lu Yu was a county constable. In 14
CE, Lu Yu neglected orders to punish citizens who
did not pay their taxes and the County Supervisor
executed him for insubordination.4 Lu Mu was
furious and began making plans for revenge. She
sold all her assets and opened a tavern as a front
for recruiting followers, secretly stockpiling
weapons and buying horses. When local youths
had no money to pay for wine, she gave them wine
on credit. She also loaned food and clothing to
those in need. At the same time, she went from
house to house, explaining why government
policies of high taxation and conscription were
making life difficult for the common people.5 Having
garnered a strong base of supporters for her cause,
Lu Mu revolted with a few hundred followers,
becoming the first peasant leader to rise up against
Wang Mang.6
http://www.colorq.org/Articles/article.aspx?
d=asianwomen&x=lumu
Lesson for a Woman 80CE
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall
/texts/banzhao.html
Emperor He of Han also invited Ban Zhao to the
palace to instruct the women of the imperial court
on history and Confucianist philosophy. When
Emperor He passed away in 105 CE, the crown
prince was still a child. Empress Dowager Deng
became the de-facto ruler of China. Ban Zhao, in
her position as Professor, served as a consultant to
Empress Dowager Deng, taking a public role in the
politics of the Imperial Court. In addition to being
an authority on history, Ban Zhao was a notable
poet and essayist. The Emperor had commissioned
many poems from Ban Zhao, but only a few of Ban
Zhao's poems have survived to the present time.
13
14
http://www.colorq.org/Articles/article.aspx?
d=asianwomen&x=banzhao
The sale of wives and daughters. This comes
about so naturally, and it might almost be
said so inevitably, when certain conditions
prevail, that it is taken by the Chinese as a
matter of course. Except in years of famine
it appears in some parts of the empire to be
rare, but in other parts it is the constant and
the normal state of things for daughters to
be as really sold as are horses and cattle.
The Natural History of a Chinese Girl
http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/p/59.html
Han Response Form
What can you determine about the role of women from these exhibits?
What questions do you have about the role of women that is not answered in the exhibits?
Gallery Walk Notes
Directions:
As you rotate through the gallery walk, take notes on what you find that would help you
identify the role of women in ancient and classical cultures.
Egyptian Women Notes
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_
Mesopotamian Women Notes
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_
Hindu Women Notes
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_
Roman Women Notes
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_
Han Women Notes
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_
Summary
Using your notes, answer the following question in the space provided:
What role(s) did women play in ancient and classical civilizations? Refer to at least three
different cultures and provide examples in your response.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________