Women in the Hellenistic Era

Among many other social, cultural, political, economic and religious changes during the Hellenistic era, the appreciation of women changed greatly. A radical change happened in the roles of women in society and also in how cosmopolitan people were. Major changes in social roles and also in how people treated foreigners happened from the Axial Age to the Hellenistic Era. This essay will be referring to Worlds Together Worlds Apart, source 142: Lamia (in Aetolia) honours a poetess from Smyrna (218/17) and 240: A model family: Apollonis of Cyzicus, wife of Attilus I.

“Lamia (in Aetolia) hoors a poetess from Smyrna,” source 142, brings about three main points. Firstly, it shows that people during the Hellenistic Era were more cosmopolitan. While during the Axial Age, Greeks were very xenophobic, during the Hellenistic Era, much change had happened, and people were even willing to complement people from other regions. In source 142, the people of the city of Lamia (in Aetolia) are honouring someone from Smyrna – Amyntas. This is not only stated in the title of the text, but also stated in the phrases “she should be made” “benefactor of the city and” “should be granted citizenship, the right to aquire land,” “the right of grazing, immunity and security by land.” This shows how the people of Lamia are complementing someone from a completely different place, and even making statements about what they would allow her to do. This brings about the idea that, during the Hellenistic Era, people were very cosmopolitan, allowing people from other places to become citizens of their city. During her poem, Amyntas, the poetess, also shows appreciation for the people of Aetolia (“in which she made worthy mention of the Aetolian people and of the ancestors of the nation”). The textbook also backs up the viewpoint that people became more cosmopolitan during the Hellenistic Era through quotes such as “instead they were the first cosmopolitans.” It also explains that Alexandria “was a multi-ethnic city.”

Source 142 also shows that there was much more appreciation of women during the Hellenistic Era. While during the Axial Age women weren’t highly respected or even written about, this entire source has been dedicated to honour a “poetess.” Although the textbook doesn’t directly state anything about the appreciation of women, it does tell that “In Epicurus’ cult, none of the social statuses of the old city-state had more value than any other: women, slaves, and others in the underclass were equally welcome in The Garden.”

However, source 142 goes beyond showing that people appreciated women more: social roles were beginning to change. While during the Axial Age women were supposed to only do housework and stay at home, during the Hellenistic Era, women could take many more roles. In the case of source 142, there is a poetess, a job that was, before the Hellenistic Era, very much restricted to males. The textbook supports this by telling that “a few women could now hold great power” and that there were many “new public roles for women.”

Source 240, “A model family: Apollonis of Cyzicus, wife of Attalus I,” again shows how there was a great increase in the appreciation of women in the Hellenistic Era. The fact that Polybius, a man, is praising a woman was something unheard of in the Axial Age. In source 240, Polybius first states that Apollonis was “a woman who for many reasons deserves to be remembered and honoured.” Although she may have not been a citizen, Polybius shows that, instead of staying the queen for her whole life because of a “seductive or meretricious act,” she stayed queen because of her actions of “integrity and dignified restraint.” Although in the Axial Age it was taken for granted that a woman would bear and look after children, Polybius compliments Apollonis for “preserv”ing “towards them the most perfect affection and motherly love till her last day.” Another way in which we can see that women were more respected during the Hellenistic Era was that the sons of Apollonis, instead of simply seeing her as a caregiver, “show”ing “their mother proper respect and honor” and by “holding her by the hand” while taking her around Cyzicus. The textbook doesn’t directly support this point of view, but does state that women were allowed into more public spaces, showing that they became more respected by the rulers and also by the public, who didn’t look down on women.

In conclusion, the Hellenistic Era brought with it a new age of appreciation of women and foreigners and also the allowance for women to take up public roles. Major changes in social roles and also in how people treated foreigners happened from the Axial Age to the Hellenistic Era. Although not all women took up these new public roles, women were respected for all of the hard work which they did, showing how the Hellenistic Era increased the openness in people.

Bibliography:

"Worlds Together Worlds Apart." Norton, p203 – p211. Accessed 27 Sep. 2020.

"142 Lamia (in Aetolia) honours a poetess from Smyrna (218/17)" p3, file:///Users/aryan/Downloads/Hellenism%20Culture%20Documents%20Part%201%20(3).pdf. Accessed 27 Sep. 2020.

"240 A model family: Appolonis of Cyzicus, wife of Attalus I" p4, file:///Users/aryan/Downloads/Hellenism%20Culture%20Documents%20Part%202-1%20(1).pdf. Accessed 27 Sep. 2020.