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Post by ZEUS THE ADMIN on Feb 26, 2010 21:31:28 GMT
Before you choose a city-state for your character, I have some information you might be interested to see.
SPARTA vs. ATHENS WOMEN
In Sparta, women were a very important part of society. Since then men lived in military barracks until they were 60, the women were free to roam the city. They could own businesses and generally had more freedom than most women in their time. When they had children, the boys were sent away to military camp at age 7. However, in Athens, which was a predominantly male society, women could do almost nothing. They stayed home and tended to the house and children. They couldn't go to market without a man. Women were the last to eat, as well.
SEXUALITY
In ancient Greece, most men had sexual relations with both boys and women. Actually, it was almost expected that a man have a boy to have relations with until marriage. And while women were expected to stay faithful to their husband, men didn't necessarily follow the same concept. Also, there were men that never married (or even did) and had a lifelong homosexual partner. This was not uncommon.
SPARTA'S MILITARY
In Sparta, citizens existed only for the good of the city-state. Any baby that was born was judged by its father and could be abandoned in the woods if deemed unworthy of being a warrior (In Athens, fathers also judged children, but if they were unwanted, they were brought to the acropolis and slaves picked them up. In Sparta, they were hardly ever picked up and died). At age 7, boys were sent to military school. They underwent a military education, with no interest in the arts. At age 12, they were sent into the woods for one year with no food and one garment. They had to learn to survive. After that year, they began to play warlike 'games' in which they would sometimes die. Note that all training took place in the nude, to toughen the warriors up. Men married at age 30 and only came to their wives to produce more warriors. They lived most of their life in the military barracks until age 60. That is, if they were alive.
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