Women have not been considered equal to men throughout history. The Etruscans were an ancient civilization that thrived in central Italy around the sixth century BCE. Little is known about the Etruscans, but what is known can be extracted through artproducing culture. Their artistic culture is related to but distinct from the civilization of ancient Greece. The ancient Greek civilization spanned from the tenth century to the end of antiquity. This civilization made enormous contributions to science, politics, and art.
The Etruscan art may have resembled the Greek art in some cases, but ultimately they each possessed their own styles which were heavily influenced by their unique cultures. Moreover, the Etruscan culture viewed women more as equals than the Greek culture. Etruscan women were more valued by their husbands, they enjoyed more rights and leisure and the Etruscan goddesses were respected more in comparison to their Greek counterparts, all of which is confirmed in their respective culture’s artworks. RELATIONSHIP WITH MEN Etruscan cultured placed a greater emphasis on family than Greek culture.
New World Encyclopedia excellently describes the strong familial relationships of the Etruscans, “They were a monogamous society that emphasized pairing… The bond was obviously a close one by social preference,” (“Etruscan Civilization”). A close bond with their partner is a necessary component of a healthy relationship between a husband and wife. The close bond of the Etruscan couple is highlighted in the Sarcophagus of the Spouses (Fig. 1). Laying together on the reclining couch, the man and the woman enjoy each other’s presences.
Furthermore, the husband is unselfishly choosing to offer to share the space of the banqueting couch with his wife. Fred Kleiner expands on this unique piece, “The image of a husband and wife sharing the same banqueting couch is uniquely Etruscan,” (Kleiner). Such an image, would not be replicated in Ancient Greek culture due to highly contrasting status and gender role of the Greek woman. In addition, the Etruscan friendship extends beyond death which can be witnessed through the tombs of couples. For example, the Sarcophagus of Ramtha Visnai and Arnth Tetnies (Fig. ) shows an older couple embracing under their shroud which illustrates the tight, calm relationship between the two. On the other hand, the Greek man did not maintain the same level of enthusiasm for his spouse as did his Etruscan counterpart. This can be evidenced by the unequal standards in their relationships, “Women were expected to be faithful to their husbands, but the reverse was not the case as husbands could freely engage the services of prostitutes, live-in lovers, and courtesans,” (Cartwright, “Women in Ancient Greece).
In addition, failing to meet these standards resulted in harsh punishment for the woman but no punishment for the man. A Greek marriage could easily be ended through repudiation by the husband, the wife leaving the family home, or if the bride’s father asked for her back (Cartwright, “Women in Ancient Greece). On the surface, the second option seems to empower the Greek woman; however, if the wife were to leave the family, she would be ostracized by Greek society. In the Greek Family Meal (Fig. 3), one can note the stark difference in spousal relationship between Greek and Etruscan societies.
In the Greek mealtime, the man of the house is the only person who is the reclining position, and he is the only one who is being manually fed. Essentially, the husband receives special treatment that the wife would never dream of obtaining. LIBERTIES The rights of an Etruscan woman outweighed those of her Greek counterpart. Etruscan women enjoyed legal rights such as, literacy, property ownership, the right to drink wine, and they had their own legal personalities (Cartwright, “Etruscan Society”). For example, the Regolini-Galassi tomb (Fig. ) was built primarily for a female to occupy. The female occupant’s name, Larthia, is inscribed on two of the little silver vases from the tomb (Lawrence). This is remarkable because at the time, in other societies, a woman did not possess such importance to even be considered to have her own identity valued without the presence of her husband’s ownership. Larthia’s tomb and her vases belonged to her, not her husband or any other males to claim. Conversely, Greek women did not enjoy the same liberties as Etruscan women.
An article in the Ancient History encyclopedia describes their miniscule rights, ‘Women in the ancient Greek world had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman’s place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children,” (Cartwright, “Women in Ancient Greece”). This meant that a Greek woman was to stay at home, cook, clean, and take care of the children. The confinement of the Greek woman to the home can be seen in the Engraving of Classical Greek Women at Home (Fig. 5).
In this work, the woman of the house is weaving, and she is being assisted by her slaves. The slave women are helping her weave, wash clothing, and bath a child. Despite the assistance provided by the slaves, the head woman of the household, the wife, was still required to stay at home. Women were clearly not seen as equal to their male counterparts. This is further evidenced by the opinion of the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who believed that women were incapable of making their own decisions due to their lack of intelligence (Cartwright, “Women in Ancient Greece”).
This perceived notion of women along with the authoritative male laws ensured that a Greek woman could not claim ownership to anything. The relationship between a man and a woman in the Etruscan and Greek cultures differed in their levels of equality. LEISURE Etruscan women and Greek women enjoyed varying degrees of leisure activities due to their unequal freedom levels in society. Etruscan women were free to attend athletic events, but Greek women were not allowed to attend. Females rarely attended or participated in the Greek athletic events due to the male nudity that dominated the atmosphere (Scanlon).
This atmosphere can be visualized through Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora vase (Fig. 6), which depicts five, Greek male athletes competing in what appears to be a foot race. Even though Greek women could not attend these events, they found other ways to entertain themselves. For example, Greek women and Etruscan women often danced in groups in a celebratory or religious manner, which can be seen in the Etruscan Tomb of the Dancing Women (Fig. 7) and in the Greek Fresco of Women Dancing in a Line (Fig. 8).
Free from male influence, the Etruscan women and the Greek women appear to enjoy dancing amongst themselves. Additionally, Etruscan women enjoyed the liberty of attending public banquets that included food, drinking, music, and other entertainment. Jacques Heurgon explains this significance of the Etruscan woman’s participation in the banquet by quoting the Greek writer, Theopompus, “They sit down to table not beside their own husbands but besides any of the guests, and they even drink to the health of anyone they please.
Moreover, they are great wine-bibblers and very beautiful to behold” (Heurgon). The female freedom during Etruscan banquets can be observed through the Banquet Scene of the Etruscan tomb (Fig. 9). In this scene, a woman is reclined with a man during the celebratory setting indicated by the musician on the left. The man whom the woman is reclined with may or may not be the husband of the woman, but due to the nature of Etruscan culture, no harm is done either way. Conversely, the Greeks also held similar banquets called symposiums.
Francisco Murcia, in his National Geographic article, describes this event, “The symposium, derived from the Greek words meaning “drinking together,” might be held to mark any number of festive occasions: an athlete’s triumph, the successful opening of a playwright’s new tragedy, a family celebration, or the homecoming or departure of a friend,” (Murcia). However, these banquets included only select women who were only there to provide further entertainment, not companionship. The women were menial flautists who likely performed sex acts and beautiful courtesans that were paid for their sexual services (Murcia).
The prostitution exhibited in the Greek symposia along with the exclusion of wives further degraded the status of women in society. In the female aulosplayer entertains men at a symposium on Attic red-figure bellkrater (Fig. 10), the female musician can be seen sensually mesmerizing the reclined Greek males with her beauty and with her talent. The disparity between the treatment of women in Etruscan and Greek cultures is evidently displayed in pieces of artwork. RELIGION The representation of goddesses in Etruscan and Greek religious art were similar in their nude form, but differed in their motives.
In the Etruscan Venus figurine (Fig. 11), the goddess is holding a fruit in one hand and her breast in the other hand, both of which represent fertility. The figurine’s nudity allowed for the goddess’ beauty to be exemplified, but the more important aspect of the figurine to consider is that fertility symbols were the center focus of the piece, which promotes a positive view of the Etruscan woman. On the contrary, the Greek Aphrodite was shown in a more erotic manner. For example, the Venus de Milo statue (Fig. 2) sensualizes Aphrodite through her revealing drapery, which is barely held up by the right hand. The creator of this work purposefully designed the sculpture to tease its male spectator, which instilled a sense of sexuality in the goddess (Kleiner). Like the Etruscan Venus figurine, this statue also bears a fruit in her hand. The apple in the left hand of Aphrodite was the award of being judged the most beautiful goddess by Paris (Kleiner). This beauty award further depicts the goddess as a sexual object because the immense valuation of a physical characteristic was rewarded through a prize by a male god.
The contrasting symbolism of the fruits in the Etruscan Venus figurine and the Aphrodite statue demonstrate the difference between the Etruscan woman and the Greek woman’s place in society. CONCLUSION Ultimately, one can comprehend the notable difference between the Etruscan society and the Greek society’s stance on women. The Etruscans offered a more liberal approach to women through their extreme dedication to kinship and through the rights and leisure that Etruscan women freely enjoyed.
On the other hand, the Greeks offered a more conservative sentiment on women due to the limited rights and leisure that they enjoyed, along with the mandatory stay-athome status that they possessed. Both representations of these women are noted in the artwork that their societies produced. However, as time passed, both societies withered away, but their culture remained alive through the art that they left behind. This artwork allows one to understand the antiquated attitude toward women, so that one can learn from history.
