Classical Greek art has much to tell us about gender expectations and ideals. In sculptures, pottery, images, and objects, we are offered glimpses of Greek ideas of feminine beauty, correct female comportment, and, critically, something of the scope of the Greek woman’s world. We see Greek women with their families, at work, and as participants in the religious festivals that helped sustain and define Greek communities. As is the case with the vast majority of the written material from this period, Greek art provides a male perspective on women. It is, however, largely free of the misogyny that characterizes so many of the descriptions of women authored by Greek men. Instead, it celebrates the female ideal, showing women as crucial, if subservient and often hidden participants in Greek life. As you examine this collection of objects and artifacts related to women in classical Greece held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, consider what they reveal about the contributions of women to Greek society. Under what circumstances did women participate in public life? How were their economic and religious contributions connected to their roles as mothers and wives?

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QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER