Women in the Law Courts of Classical Athens

Konstantinos Kapparis is Professor of Classics and Director of the Center for Greek Studies at the University of Florida.

This is an illuminating book, one that challenges the assumptions we make about the ancient world. By widening the perspective of women’s experience with the Athenian legal system beyond the formal law courts, Kapparis has challenged the traditional narrative of Athenian women’s complete lack of legal agency.

• Introductioni. Women and the Legal System of the Athenian Democracy: Why is it important?ii. The intersection of the law with the lives of women.iii. Sourcesiv. Modern literaturePART 1Cases involving women litigantsLysias, To Antigenes, On the AbortionLysias, On the daughter of AntiphonHypereides, Against Aristagora aprostasiou, (two speeches)Deinarchos, That the daughters of Aristophon are not heiresses; or, Diamartyria that the daughter of Aristophon is not an heiressPericles, In Defense of Aspasia, for Impiety[Demosthenes] 40, To Boiotos on his mother’s dowryHypereides, Against Demetria, apostasiouLysias, Against Diogeiton: A mother’s compelling speechDeinarchos, Synegoria to Hegelochos, for the Epikleros, or Against Hegelohos, Synegoria on behalf of the EpiklerosDeinarchos, Against Hedyle, apostasiouLysias, To Lais[Deinarchos], Dispute between the priestess of Demeter and the HierophantLycurgus, On the PriestessDeinarchos, For an Epikleros: For the Daughter of IophonEuboulides, Against the sister of Lakedaimonios, for ImpietyHypereides, In Defense of MikaApollodoros, Against NeairaLysias, For NikomacheMenekles, Against Ninos the Priestess, for Impiety.Lysias, On the daughter of OnomaklesIsaios 3, On the Estate of PyrrhosLysias, Against Philonides for RapeHypereides, In Defense of PhryneLysias, On the daughter of PhrynichosIsaios , To Satyros, on behalf of the epikleros.Antiphon 1, Against the StepmotherDemosthenes, Against Theoris, for ImpietyHypereides, To TimandraPART 2Chapter 1. Women’s participation in the Athenian justice system1.1. Women’s access to the various layers of the justice system1.2 Representation versus exclusion1.3. Not all women are the same1.4. ConclusionsChapter 2. Judicial processes involving women.2.1 An overview of processes and procedures in the Athenian Justice System2.2. Women and politics2.3. Citizenship and immigration violations2.4. Prosecutions for religious offenses2.5. Economic disputes.2.6. Violent crime2.7. Personal responsibility before the lawChapter 3. Gender as a factor in the construction of the argument3.1. Gender stereotypes as a factor in trials involving both men and women: An introduction3.2 The dutiful wife and mother3.3. The indecent women of Athens3.4. The poisoner and the witch3.5. Images of the body and sexuality3.6. A woman with a past3.7. ConclusionsChapter 4. Women’s Empowerment, Social Groups and the Justice System4.1. Introduction4.2. The Citizen woman in the Athenian polis 4.3. The Metic woman in the Athenian polis 4.4. The working women of Athens: legal implications.4.5. ConclusionsChapter 5. ConclusionsAppendix: The main laws affecting the lives of Athenian women.The law on marriage The law on the epidikasia of citizen and metic epikleroiThe law on the epidikasia of a poor epiklerosThe Periclean citizenship law The laws prohibiting mixed marriages between Athenians and non-AtheniansThe law on divorceThe laws on adultery affecting womenThe laws on succession and inheritance directly affecting womenThe social network: the laws requiring of the archon to protect women, children and orphans from abuse of their person or property.All priests and priestesses are equally responsible under the law.Select Bibliography