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Women And Their Roles In History

Most women throughout history have made an impact or had a significant role in the society of their time. These women of ancient civilizations have led us to the roles of women in our society today. They have boosted the standing of women in society and have tried to be individuals. In some time periods, women were controlled completely by men and in others they were moderately controlled by men. This paper will focus on the roles of women in certain areas. The civilizations that I analyzed closely were the Roman Empire, Han China, Classical Greece, Byzantium, Egypt, and Europe during the Middle Ages. All these civilizations had some roles of women in common and others were completely different. We will be taking a look at women's roles in Love/ Marriage, Religion, the Economy/ Business, Politics, Daily Life, Education, Theater, and War.
Love and Marriage
In Greece a father or a brother arranged marriages for a woman, and the groom was usually a distant relative. Husbands sometimes paid for the bride, but it was more common for a dowry (land portion) to be given. A marriage ceremony consisted of a procession that took the bride from her house to the house of her husband, and there the marriage was consummated. The marriages in Rome, in the Middle Ages, and in Byzantium are the most similar. In all three places, the father picked the grooms and a dowry was paid. The woman went from authority of their fathers to the authority of their husbands. They would have Church ceremony and a huge party with many guests after the ceremony. The only place that marriages were different is in Egypt. In Egypt men and women actually loved each other, and marriage was a natural state for people of all classes. Love and emotional support were considered to be important parts of marriage. Egyptians also loved children as people and not just as workers. There was no actual ceremony; a woman could chose her husband unless they were nobility and a couple was...