Women in the home in Greece: the kyria, slaves and the Spartan wife - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Women in the Ancient World) Exam Questions

Practise 32 exam-style questions on Women in the home in Greece: the kyria, slaves and the Spartan wife for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Women in the Ancient World). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

32 questions
1–8 marks each
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Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

According to the philosopher Aristotle, writing in the 4th century BC, roughly what fraction of all the land in Spartan territory was owned by women?

Model answer

Nearly two-fifths.

Explanation

Aristotle explains that so much land belonged to women because there were many heiresses and large dowries were given. This contrasts sharply with Athens, where a woman could not even make a contract worth more than a medimnos of barley.

Mark scheme

1 mark
About two-fifths
Accept 'nearly two-fifths', 'about 40%'. Do not accept 'half', 'a third' or 'none'.

Question 2

2 marks

Source A: Lysias 1 (On the Murder of Eratosthenes) 18

Euphiletus has been told that his wife has a lover, and he suspects the slave girl who goes to the market for the household of carrying messages between them.

'I told her that she could choose one of two things: either to be whipped and thrown into the mill, and never be free from miseries like these, or to tell me the whole truth, suffer no harm, and be forgiven by me for her wrongdoing.'

Give two things Source A shows about the position of slave women in an Athenian household.

Model answer

Slave women could be brutally punished by their masters: Euphiletus threatens to have her 'whipped and thrown into the mill'. They also had no rights at all, because whether she was harmed or forgiven depended entirely on his decision.

Explanation

Working at the mill, grinding grain, was a common and hated punishment for slaves. The episode also shows how much freedom of movement slave women had compared with their mistresses, since the girl went to the market and could act as a go-between. In court, slaves' evidence was normally taken only under torture.

Mark scheme

1 mark
First valid point from the source.
Two from: they could be physically punished / whipped by their master; they could be sent to the mill, a punishment of hard labour, at their master's will; they had no rights or protection - they were completely at their master's mercy; whether they were forgiven depended on their master; they were trusted with household business, e.g. going to market, which let them carry messages; they could be forced to give evidence by threats. Each point must be supported by the source.
1 mark
Second, different valid point.
As above; must be different from the first.

Question 3

3 marks

Source A: Plutarch, Life of Alcibiades 8

Hipparete had married the Athenian politician Alcibiades, bringing a very large dowry.

'Hipparete was a well-behaved and loving wife, but she was distressed by her husband's affairs with courtesans, both foreign and Athenian, so she left his house and went to live with her brother. When Alcibiades took no notice and carried on as before, she had to register her divorce with the archon, and to do this not through others but in person. When she appeared in public to do this, Alcibiades came up, seized her and carried her home through the agora, and no one dared to oppose him or take her away from him.'

Explain what this story shows about divorce in Athens.

Model answer

The story shows that an Athenian wife could seek a divorce, but it was very difficult: Hipparete had to register it with the archon 'in person', appearing in public, which a respectable woman would find shaming. It also shows that she depended on her male relatives, since she went to live with her brother. Finally, it shows the husband's power: Alcibiades simply seized her and carried her home through the agora, and 'no one dared to oppose him', perhaps because a divorce would have forced him to return her large dowry.

Explanation

A husband could end a marriage simply by sending his wife back to her family, but a wife had to go through the archon. The dowry had to be returned on divorce, which protected wives to some degree but also gave husbands a motive to keep them. The double standard is clear: Alcibiades' affairs with courtesans were not a crime, while a wife's adultery was severely punished.

Mark scheme

1 mark
First valid point, explained with reference to the story.
Three from: a wife could seek a divorce, but only by registering it with the archon; she had to appear in person, in public, which was hard and shaming for a respectable woman; she relied on her male relatives (she went to her brother, now her protector / kyrios); a husband's affairs with courtesans were not illegal and were not grounds a court would punish him for; a husband could use force to stop her and no one interfered - his power over his wife; the dowry had to be returned on divorce, giving the husband a reason to prevent it (Alcibiades would have lost her large dowry); a husband could divorce his wife much more easily (simply by sending her away). Each mark needs a point linked to the story.
1 mark
Second, different valid point.
As above.
1 mark
Third, different valid point.
As above. Max 3.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: an Athenian law, quoted in the speech Against Neaira ([Demosthenes] 59.87)

'When a man has caught the adulterer, it shall not be lawful for him to go on living with his wife; if he does, he shall lose his citizen rights. And it shall not be lawful for the woman who has been caught with an adulterer to attend public sacrifices; if she does attend, she may suffer anything, except death, without anyone being punished for it.'

To what extent did Athenian women have any legal protection or rights? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Athenian women had very few legal rights of their own; what protection the law gave them existed mainly to protect their husbands' households and the legitimacy of citizen children.

Source A shows how harshly the law treated a woman caught in adultery. Her husband was forced to divorce her or lose his citizen rights, and she was barred from public sacrifices, where anyone could abuse her 'except death' without punishment. Lysias 1 shows that the husband could even kill the adulterer caught in the act, and Euphiletus explains that seduction was treated so seriously because it made 'uncertain whose the children are'. Yet a husband's own affairs with slaves or courtesans were not crimes, as the story of Alcibiades and Hipparete shows. The law was clearly concerned with the husband's household, not with the woman herself.

In general, a woman was a legal minor all her life. Her kyrios - first her father, then her husband - arranged her marriage through the engye, represented her in court and controlled her property; the law forbade a woman to make a contract worth more than a medimnos of barley. An heiress (epikleros) could even be made to marry her father's nearest male relative to keep the property in the family.

There were some protections. Her dowry stayed linked to her and had to be returned to her family if the marriage ended, which gave her some security and discouraged a husband from divorcing her. A wife could seek a divorce through the archon, although, as Hipparete found, she had to do it in person and her husband could stop her by force. After Pericles' citizenship law, citizen mothers were essential for citizen children, which gave wives an important, legally recognised status.

Overall, Athenian women had almost no rights as individuals; the law protected them only as daughters, wives and mothers within the oikos, and it punished them far more severely than men.

Explanation

Top answers use Source A and add the kyrios system, the medimnos limit, the adultery killing in Lysias 1, the dowry and divorce procedures, then evaluate whose interests the laws protected. A judgement recognising the double standard and the focus on legitimacy is more convincing than a simple list of things women could not do.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of the legal position of Athenian women, using both Source A and own wider knowledge; shows very good understanding of the cultural context and possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far women had legal protection or rights, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both the source and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic, limited range of evidence, some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use the source given; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - a husband who catches an adulterer must divorce his wife or lose his citizen rights; the adulterous wife is barred from public sacrifices and may be abused short of death with impunity. Adultery: a husband could kill an adulterer caught in the act (Lysias 1, Euphiletus and Eratosthenes); seduction said to be punished more harshly than rape because it corrupted the wife and made the children's paternity uncertain (Lysias 1.32-33); men's affairs with slaves, hetairai and pornai were not crimes (Alcibiades). The kyrios: father, then husband (son or relative for a widow) - legal guardian who arranged her marriage through the engye, represented her in court and controlled her property; women could not vote, hold office or act in court for themselves; could not make a contract worth more than a medimnos of barley (Isaeus); the epikleros (heiress) had to marry her father's nearest male relative to keep the property in the family. Protections: the dowry (proix) stayed linked to her and had to be returned to her family on divorce; a wife could seek divorce by registering with the archon (Hipparete, in person); her kyrios had a duty to protect and maintain her; Pericles' citizenship law (451 BC) made citizen mothers essential for citizen children. AO2: very limited - she was a legal minor all her life, always under a kyrios; the adultery law punished the wife harshly while men faced no equivalent penalty (double standard); the laws protected the husband's household and the legitimacy of heirs rather than the woman herself; divorce was difficult and public for a woman, easy for a man. Some protection - the dowry gave financial security and discouraged divorce; the law forced her family to provide for her; her role as mother of citizens was legally recognised; the ban on religion shows the importance of women's religious role. Judgement: e.g. women had almost no rights of their own; such protection as existed served the oikos and the city.

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