Escaping the Patriarchy: The Depictions of Women and Goddesses in Ancient Greek Art

https://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ugresearch/2019/2019all/144/thumbnail.jpgMy research will be comparing and contrasting the depiction of women and Greek goddesses in Ancient Greek art. Much of the art will show the power and freedom the goddesses had that the common woman did not, but also show Greek mythology mirrored and perpetuated the life of a common woman during the Greek patriarchy. The Greek patriarchy oppressed and secluded women throughout the thousands of years of what is considered “Ancient Greece.” Women were only to marry, bear children, and provide around the house. They were not to attend school or social events or participate in political or military events. Women had very little freedom and double standards when it came to marriage, sexuality, employment, and social aspects of their lives. Men were all-powerful and dominating, while women were shameful and deceitful. Ancient Greek mythology blames women for the downfall of men. Considering the social restraint women faced, there were, ironically, a plethora of powerful female goddesses depicted in Greek mythology. I will explore depictions of these real and mythological women by examining both written materials (before the trip) and on-site research in Athens, Greece (faculty-led Global Education class/trip Spring 2019’ trip will be during the spring break).