Women and Law in Classical Greece

Sealey, Raphael

ISBN 10: 0807818720 / ISBN 13: 9780807818725

Published by The University of North Carolina Press, 1990

About this Item

Gently read. May have name of previous ownership, or ex-library edition. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth, with no creasing; covers clean and crisp. Minimal signs of handling or shelving. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships USPS Media Mail.

Seller Inventory # OTV.0807818720.VG

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Women and Law in Classical Greece
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication Date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807818720
• ISBN 13: 9780807818725
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: very_good

About this title

Synopsis

Based on a sophisticated reading of legal evidence, this book offers a balanced assessment of the status of women in classical Greece. Raphael Sealey analyzes the rights of women in marriage, in the control of property, and in questions of inheritance. He advances the theory that the legal disabilities of Greek women occurred because they were prohibited from bearing arms.

Sealey demonstrates that, with some local differences, there was a general uniformity in the legal treatment of women in the Greek cities. For Athens, the law of the family has been preserved in some detail in the scrupulous records of speeches delivered in lawsuits. These records show that Athenian women could testify, own property, and be tried for crime, but a male guardian had to administer their property and represent them at law. Gortyn allowed relatively more independence to the female than did Athens, and in Sparta, although women were allowed to have more than one husband, the laws were similar to those of Athens. Sealey’s subsequent comparison of the law of these cities with Roman law throws into relief the common concepts and aims of Greek law of the family.

Originally published in 1990.

A UNC Press Enduring Edition — UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

About the Author

Raphael Sealey is professor of history at the University of California at Berkeley. His books include The Athenian Republic: Democracy or the Rule of Law?.