Greek Law and Women Study Questions

(WLGR 76-90)

1. Under the Gortyn Law Code (WLGR 76), how much control does a woman have over property?

2. What is the general effect of the funeral laws in the inscription from Keos (WLGR 77)?

3. Passages 78-84 concern wills and inheritance. What do they tell us about the legal status of women?

4. What evidence is given to prove legitimate marriage in the Isaeus excerpt (WLGR 86)?

5. What role does the married daughter of a deceased man play in the distributio of his property (WLGR 87)?

6. How does Euphiletus explain his wife's availability to a lover in the Lysias excerpt (WLGR 88)? Why does he say an adulterer is worse than a rapist?

7. How does the stepmother in the Antiphon excerpt (WLGR 89) carry out her alleged crime? To what mythical character is she compared?

8. What evidence is used in the Demosthenes excerpt (WLGR 90) to prove that Neaira is not of citizen status? How is this case relevant to the summary of men's relations with women, given at the end of the speech?