Rape in Ancient Greece?
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Rape and Rape Culture in the Ancient Greek Culture? Was rape “really” rape in Ancient Greece? Sotiria Koutsopetrou HIS 350 Master Thesis Department for Archaeology, History, Cultural studies and Religion UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN Spring 2019 Abstract In this master thesis I discuss how the ancient Greeks evaluated the rape of women, which sexual acts were punished as rape and whether their culture qualifies as rape culture. The topic is examined at five particular levels of inquiry. First, I take a closer look at the modern terms of rape and rape culture. Second, I analyze and compare the representations of rape in myth and art with the contemporary examples of rape culture. Then, I study the ancient Greek view of rape and the legal framework of the crime in ancient Athens and Gortyn on Crete. Finally, I examine the ancient literary pieces which deal with the female experience of rape and articulate the female suffering. My conclusion is that the ancient Greeks held a contradictory attitude on the matter. They did condemn the rape of their women, but also excused many forms of sexual violence against them. They used several verbal formulations for describing and “conceptually” connecting the act with the word bia (violence) or the word hybris (insult, outrage). From a legal perspective, an act of rape was understood as an insult against the property and the authority of the male kyrios (guardian) of the female victim and not against the victim herself. The female consent or point of view were immaterial. Raped women had access to the legal system only through their kyrioi, who decided according to their personal interests whether they would employ the available judicial or self-help remedies. In contrast, representations of rape in the ancient Greek myths and literature show that the Greeks could understand the female trauma in cases of rape and sympathized with the victims. However, this sympathy did not insinuate a new “trend” in their culture. It did not change the general attitudes towards gender relations, which applauded the masculine sexual aggression and the female sexual passiveness, made sexual violence against women an aspect of life and constructed an environment which trivialized the rape of women by connecting it with more attractive ideas as prowess, courage, power and lust. ii Acknowledgements This master thesis is the result of personal hard work, which would not have been accomplished without the help and support of others. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Associate Professor Ingvar Brandvik Mæhle, who has been generous with his time, support and guidance through each stage of my thesis. He has showed great interest in my project and provided me with insightful comments, valuable material and immense knowledge. Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank Professor Jørgen Christian Meyer, Associate Professor Eivind Heldaas Seland as well as my fellow students for their useful feedback on all my drafts and manuscripts at the weekly seminar in Ancient History. I also owe gratitude to Professor Sissel Undheim and the members of the SKOK institute for reading parts of my thesis, giving me good advices and asking me questions which widened my study from various perspectives. My sincere thanks go also to the University of Bergen, which financially supported my trip to the archeological museums of Athens. Last, but by no means least, I want to thank my family. I owe a big thank you to my parents who taught me everything I know and gave me the chance to improve myself through all my steps in life. Special thanks go also to my mother in law for unconditionally taking care of my children and, thus, giving me the chance to fulfill this project. I am very grateful to my dear friend Katerina for always being there for me and offering me advice. But the greatest thanks of all goes to my partner and our three children for their outstanding patience, their unfailing support and their continuous encouragement throughout the lonely process of writing this thesis. Kristian, Louiza, Jon and Per, this is for you. Rita Bergen, 6 Mai 2019 iii Abbreviations Ancient Authors Ancient Literature Aeschl = Aschylus Ath. Pol. = Constitution of the Athenians Aeschin. = Aeschinus Epit. = Epitrepontes Appolod. = Pseudo-Appolodorus Lys. = Lysias Aristot. = Aristotle Od. = Odyssey Dem. = Demosthenes PB = Prometheus Bound Din. = Dinarchus Rh. = Rhetoric Eur. = Euripides Supp. = The Suppliants Hdt. = Herodotus Plut. = Plutarch Xen. = Xenophon iv Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research Question and Presentation of the topic ............................................................. 1 1.2 The background of the sexual relations in ancient Greece ............................................... 2 1.3 Delimitation and Structure .............................................................................................. 4 Chapter 2: Methods, Challenges, Sources ............................................................................ 7 2.1 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 The problem of vocabulary and the danger of anachronism ............................................. 8 2.3 Challenges ...................................................................................................................... 10 2.4 Sources ........................................................................................................................... 10 2.4.1 Primary Sources (Literature – Visual Arts – Inscriptions) .................................... 11 2.4.2 Secondary Literature ............................................................................................... 12 2.5 Problems of reliability .................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 3: Modern Theory ................................................................................................... 17 3.1 What is rape today? ........................................................................................................ 17 3.2 Feminist approaches to rape ........................................................................................... 19 3.3 The concept of rape culture ............................................................................................ 21 3.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 4: Rape in the Greek Myths .................................................................................. 25 4.1 The multiple function of myths ...................................................................................... 25 4.2 The depiction of rape in Greek myths ............................................................................. 26 4.2.1 The issue of frequency .............................................................................................. 26 4.2.2 The issue of Ambivalence ........................................................................................ 27 v 4.3 Rape myths – rape culture? ........................................................................................... 29 4.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 5: The concept of rape in ancient Greece ............................................................ 37 5.1 The most common words for rape in ancient Greece ..................................................... 37 5.2 Rape described as bia (βία) “violence or force” .............................................................. 39 5.3 Rape described as hybris (ὕβρις) “insult” ..................................................................... 40 5.4 The ancient Greek view of rape ...................................................................................... 43 5.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 6: The Legal Remedies of Rape ............................................................................ 47 6.1 The laws and the legal charges for rape .......................................................................... 47 6.2 Judicial Remedies in Athens ........................................................................................... 49 6.2.1 Dike biaion (Δίκη βιαίων) “charge of assault” ...................................................... 49 6.2.2 “Graphe hybreos” (Γραφή ὕβρεως) ...................................................................... 51 6.3 Self-help Remedies in Athens ......................................................................................... 54 6.3.1 The Draconian homicide law or law of “justifiable homicide” ................................ 54 6.4 The impact of rape on Athenian women .......................................................................