In today’s day and age, we see many movements focusing on giving equal rights to women, and this has been the phenomenon for quite a few centuries now. Some movements have become successful, while some of the warriors are still fighting it out. But, you would be surprised to know that during the ancient times, women from some countries had lives which we can never imagine they could be having at that time. Women in different countries had different rights, limitations, interests and hobbies. We are not saying that the discrimination did not prevail in those times, but some women were surely given rights which can be considered unthinkable even today.
Take a look at some of the most interesting facts about the lives of ancient women, and yes, these are those facts which have never been discussed in our history lessons.
This may come as the first shocker in this list, but this is true. Women in Egypt had equal rights in most of the matters, including the right to inherit the throne. Any child of the ruler regardless of the gender had equal rights to the throne. Such equality was not prevalent in other ancient kingdoms of that time. Interestingly, the family line was drawn from the mother’s side, instead of the father’s side in ancient Egypt.
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Now that you have digested the previous fact about ancient Egyptian women, let us tell you that women could also hold high religious positions. One of the positions was that of the “God’s Wife,” which was basically associated with different deities. The other important position was that of “God’s Wife of Amun,” which was an ‘honorary title’ given to women. These women used to assist the high priest in ceremonies and they had to tend to God’s Statue as well. In fact, it was not common for women to be housewives and many of them were professional dancers and musicians as well.
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Young girls in ancient Rome used to get married at the age of 12, so their childhood didn’t last really long. But, they still chose to play with toys and one of those toys (a wooden doll) was discovered in a sarcophagus of a girl at the end of the 19th century. Crepereia Tryphaena was the name of that young girl and she used to live in the 2nd century Rome. Apart from the doll, a box of clothes for the doll was also found.
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Although most of the women were taught the very basics of reading and writing, some families in ancient Rome proffered to hire private tutors to teach their daughters so that they could gain broader knowledge. This was done so that the woman could become intellectual and interesting enough for her husband, because of which she could later lead an influential life.
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Women in ancient Greece did not have many rights and they were simply not considered as equal citizens. But the one right that they had even after such harsh limitations was that they could divorce their husbands. For this, a woman needed a male representative who would make the case in her name. And you would ask how the men divorced? Well, they could simply throw a woman out of their house!
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As you can see in the mosaic that is dated back to the 4th century AD, Roman girls wore something that is pretty much like the modern day bikini.
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In ancient Greece, women enjoyed playing games and one of the most popular games was known as “knucklebone”, which is actually quite similar to the modern “jacks.” This game involved throwing up the knucklebones in the air so as to catch as many as possible by only one hand.
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Women of ancient Rome were quite athletic and keenly participated in sports. As much as they enjoyed the various recreational activities, many women took part in weightlifting, wrestling and boxing competitions.
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The Chinese ancient woman had no rights and was actually considered as a property of her husband. In fact, the women met their husbands on the day of their marriage, which was mostly arranged by the professional matchmakers. Now this may sound absurd today, but in those days a man could leave his wife if she talked too much. Other reasons included unfaithfulness, theft, jealousy, not being able to bear a son or suffering from an infectious disease.
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This may come as a surprise to many because arranged marriages are very common in India. But that was not the case in ancient India, as women had equal rights in many regards. Not only could she choose her husband, but she could also choose when to get married. In fact, they used to receive higher education and were free to work and earn for themselves. They were not even asked any questions about their salary.
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