Life for Women in the Ancient and Early Modern World Essay

Introduction

Women are a fundamental part of any society both in the ancient and in the early modern world. In many cultures, women were regarded as a gift to the society. Ancient societies of the Egyptians, Indians, pre-Christian Israel and in Renaissance Europe were treated differently in some instances with striking similarities drawn from their economic, social and political alienations. Women in the ancient and in the early modern age contrast in their socio-economic rankings because of the transformations that result from leadership and gaining political strength.

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Women in ancient times

According to historical documents, Egypt is one of the ancient societies that treated its women better than any other when compared to ancient India, Greece, Rome, and Israel. The Egyptian culture believed that happiness and long-lasting joy were the frontline legitimate life goals thus regarded the family and home as one of the major sources of their delight. From the hymn of the Nile, the poet states that "He who grieved goes out in joy, every heart rejoices." This illustrates the place of happiness in the ancient Egyptian society. Happiness was paramount and was a foundation upon which marriages was found.

Although other societies regarded their women as being lower than men and that men were the legitimate heads of the family, ancient Egypt embraced their women and even allowed them to take leadership roles such as being pharaohs. Egyptians considered marriage and offspring as very vital for the society to thrive a contrary view from other societies which regarded their women as basically domestic servants while the offspring that came up generation after generation gained their importance as they grew up until finally attain adulthood.

The women in the Egyptian society were privileged in two distinct ways. First, women were considered to be equal men and thus were allowed to become leaders such as the pharaoh the topmost leader in the Egyptian society on very special occasions qualified by very special circumstances. Women were allowed to sign contracts, borrow money, own property in their names, appear as witnesses in court, among other roles that are otherwise gender specific in favor of men. As part of this rights, women were also liable to the responsibilities that came with these roles. Second, women received both love and emotional support from their men after marriage as these virtues were considered very crucial parts of the union. All members of the family including children were regarded with absolute importance and not just as caretakers and potential workers for the families in land tilling and harvesting.

Ancient Israel also known as the ancient Hebrew as outlined in the Bible which contained the Hebrew law. According to Deuteronomy Moses summons all the Israelites and reads to them the laws that will guide them. He starts by saying "Hear, Israel, the decrees, and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them." Among the laws is the law on adultery. According to the Hebrew tradition, women were considered a fundamental pair in the marriage as they were also child bearers that means a man would live a fulfilled life when they had descendants after them.

An incidence in the genesis portrays the importance of children to men. Women who bore no children were less worth as compared to those who bore children for the men. In chapter sixteen of genesis, Sarai Abram's wife decides to offer Hagar her handmaid to her husband so they can have children and an offspring to inherit Abrams wealth and carry on his legacy. She says, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children; go into my maid; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." This signifies the subordinate role of women in the pre-Christian Israel society. Their worth was quantified by the number of heirs a woman would bear for the man.

The ancient Indian society women enjoyed a period of high status. The women were allowed to attain the highest possible standards both in their intellect and in their spirituality. The most famous period in the Indian history was the Rig Vedic women as it had the highest number of Rishis. The society promoted polygamy especially for the wealthy off member of the society. The society, however, discouraged early marriage famously known as the site system. In the following periods, women became more and more discriminated after the elapse of the Rig-Vedic period paving way for the later-Vedic period.

Men play a wholesome role in making their women stand out. The wealthy man was able to have and maintain as many women and gave them the joy of his wealth. From the Jain Sutras "About this the Revered One has taught the truth: for the sake of the splendor, honor, and glory of this life, for the sake of birth, death." The society regards men as such because of the wealth they possess. Ancient women in India played a great role in the developing of the literature. There were many learned ladies in ancient India. Scholarly women fell under two categories namely Brahmavadinis which means the group of women who never married and the other group was the Sadyodvahas. The former cultured the Vedas in the lifetime while the latter studied the Vedas until such a time as they were given to marriage.

From the Jain texts, we encounter a princess by the name kousambi who opted to remain a sinister throughout her life for the purpose of studying philosophy and religion. The Buddhist nuns are also famous for their role in composing hymns. The Indian women also wrote verses and plays, excelled in painting, music and fine arts. In the poem of Sri Krishna, we learn of the yoga of knowledge. The poem articulates that "Water flows continually into the ocean, but the ocean is never disturbed: Desire flows into the mind of the seer, but he is never disturbed." These are lessons portrayed in similes and the knowledge that the ancient India taught in the form of poetry and songs.

Women in Renaissance Europe can be understood by looking at the behaviors of women in ancient Rome. According to the twelve tables of Roman law, "Where a woman, who has not been united to a man in marriage, lives with him for an entire year without the usucaption of her being interrupted for three nights, she shall pass into his power as his legal wife." This means that the social position of the woman is one that is directly under the man. It is the man who has the overall voice of the household. In other laws, we see that women are subordinate even on issues of divorce. A man acquires a woman and makes her his property.

The renaissance period fostered a sense of individuality in the society and which is believed to have laid the foundation for the modern Europe. This period is characterized by a male-dominated society which considers women as being very weak to the extent that men would make decisions on issues to do with the lives if the women. The male-dominated hierarchy saw the political position of the woman as one that is subjugated. From the deeds of the divine Augustus, it seems that the role of women was only to produce a heir for the man. It states that "Twice I triumphed with an ovation, thrice I celebrated curule triumphs, and was saluted as Imperator twenty-one times." The text outlines only the achievements of man without highlighting any achievements of the women or any woman who supported Augustus in his great accomplishments.

Early modern age woman

The early modern age was characterized by a series of revolutions and the defense of the human rights. From being considered as the lowly members of the society, women are seen to be rising against the forces of man-dominated society and political hierarchy. All across the different cultures in India, Egypt, and Europe and in Israel, women play key roles that see them overcome their inferiority ancient inferiority status.

In Egypt, women were out in numbers and in great force during the period of popular uprisings which led to the toppling of the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. The sad state of events is that their future in the post-revolutionary Egypt remained very uncertain. The success of the revolution was highly dependent on the participation of the women. Egyptian women have time and again disapproved the notion of their inferiority and their state of being voiceless. Overcoming oppression was a great move towards realizing their full potential.

The self-worth of the women is believed to have increased tremendously following the revolution. After the revolution and overcoming the oppression of the time, women now saw themselves as being equal to their counterparts the men. This cut across all the areas of their living from social to economic and political lives. The quest to have their rights and privileges were felt as documented in the charter of liberties stating that "And the guardian of the land and children shall be either the wife or another of the relatives who more justly ought to be." This is a shift from the previous laws and policies that limited the inheritance of property to only the male heirs if any. Women in the ancient Egypt endured discrimination as a result of policies from different leaders that rendered them as subordinates to their masters the men.

Women gained political mileage and enacted policies such as the freedom of the widows to choose how to lead the rest of their lives. "A Widow, after the death of her husband, incontinent, and without any Difficulty, shall have her marriage and her inheritance." Initially, widows were considered as outcasts and were not allowed to have inheritance save for the male heirs and the respective relatives. The formation of the feminist revolts in Egypt was as vibrant and as prosperous as the country's development as a modern state in the Arab world. The feminist movements of the early modern Egypt was both very vocal and very powerful as the women took frontiers in fighting for gender equality and economic empowerment of women as the inferior group.

In early modern India, the number of women who are taking their rightful place as both professionals and entrepreneurs tremendously increased. In the traditional setup, the place of a woman is that of a giving birth to the man's heirs and a caretaker of the homestead. The man is the head and the sole provider for the family. The man was the superior member of the homestead and the community while women were inferior both economically and intellectually. "He killed the dragon and pierced an opening for the waters; he split open the bellies of mountains." Here the man is described as a victorious person and the conqueror who secures the community from evil. Regardless of this state, the modern Indian woman is seen to be changing very fast as more and more women become celebrated heroines and join the workforce to provide for their families. Household responsibilities are no longer the work of one gender but a shared course.

The transformation of the society economically is highly attributable to the women who took the roles that were otherwise a reserve for men. A good example of the societal transformation is through the movements that were solely propagated by women such as the "make love not scars" movement by Ria Sharma that advocates against acid attacks (Thomas). The movement also supports victims of such atrocities through medical attention and rehabilitation. Women in early modern India are the frontiers of a developed and a transformed society.

The early modern Israel woman is both economically and religiously empowered compared to the ancient Hebrew woman. With the advent of Christianity, the woman is seen as vital pillar upon which the gospel is propagated. In the call to crusade of 1095, both men and women are considered as shepherds who should guard their flock. "You are called...