Holy Cross Classics Professor Highlights the Role of Women in Ancient Olympic Games

 



In a recent article by Quartz, a digital publication that covers the global economy, Thomas R. Martin, historian and professor of the classics department at the College of the Holy Cross, commented on the role women played in the Heraean games in Ancient Greece. These games, which featured athletic events similar to the Olympic Games, were held for young, unmarried female participants only, and were said to honor the Greek goddess Hera, Quartz reports.

Even though there are differing stories of how the Heraen games came to fruition in ancient times, or if these games actually existed, the women who participated in them were said to have made peace between two hostile societies called Elis and Pisa. These same women were later chosen to weave a robe for Hera every four years, and “manage” the Heraen games.

“This is an extraordinary story in ancient Greek history where men could not restore peace, so women had to do it,” Martin told Quartz. “That is truly remarkable in a society where formally speaking, women are in a secondary position. They don’t have the right to vote, they don’t have the right to attend political assemblies and express their opinion directly.”

Read the whole article at Qz.com

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Jessica Kennedy.