1. What do we know about women’s work (their contributions, their responsibilities) in foraging bands or hunter-gatherer communities? According to the author, how does this contrast with what historians have speculated about women’s standing in these societies?
2. In what ways are Egyptian women’s lives different than those in Mesopotamian societies in antiquity? Be specific and use examples from as many different readings as possible. When developing your answer, consider the four categories used to assess women’s status in society (economic, social, political, religious).
3. Privileged Athenian womens lives were very restricted. Women had very limited freedom and control over their own lives. Why? According to the authors, what was the reason for the cultural and legal subordination of women? (Hint: It has to do with Athenian ideas of womens nature).
4. Spartan women had much more legal, social, and economic freedom than Athenian women. What power did Spartan women have over their lives that Athenian women lacked (e.g. What could they do? What could they control? What was expected of them?)? What accounts for these differences, according to the authors? In other words, how did Spartan ideas about women differ from that of the Athenians?
5. Discuss the connection(s) between women’s status in patriarchal cultures in Mesopotamia with those of the women in the Torah. What were some of the similarities or differences?
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