Paper Summary:

This paper compares and contrasts the feminist construct of gender in the religious festivals and celebrations in ancient Roman and Grecian cultures. It examines the example of the Greek female festival of Thesmophoria and based on this examination it discusses how Roman culture also adapted such festivals in honor of women. The paper concludes that the Roman culture was far more patriarchal in its belief system, which negated the greater liberties that women had in Greek society and in government.

From the Paper:

"This provides a similar foundation for the rites of women within the pantheon of Roman gods that had been passed down from ancient Greek culture, yet the practice of women within society as equal contributors to the religious and social experiences did not provide as many liberties from Greek to Roman gender roles. The primary role of women was respected at a level that was officially sanctioned by the government, yet the practicality of women's rights was often marginalized due to the role of men in dominating government and social policy. These are the means and ways in which a patriarchal society was much more prominent in Roman culture than it was within the religious and social institutions that the Greeks. For the most part, both cultures did not provide compete autonomy for women, yet the Greeks did provide a greater sense of ceremonial and religious roles for women that were practical and real for allowing women to bond and create social groups separate from men."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Country Festivals." Roman Empire.net. Retrieved 29 April, 2007 from http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/rel-fields.html
• Foxhall, L. (1995). Women in antiquity: New assessments. Ed. Susan Bundell London: Routledge.
• Lowe, N.J. (1998). The sacred and the feminine in ancient Greece. London: Routledge.
• Mason, M. (2007). Ancient Roman women: A look at their lives. Moyak.com. Retrieved 29 April, 2007 from http://www.moyak.com/researcher/resume/papers/roman_women.html

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