marriage in ancient greece

8/4/2019 Marriage in Ancient Greece

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Marriage in Ancient Greece


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Institution of Marriage

In most societies, there was a need to formulatea means by which to procure a secureenvironment that would perpetuate thecontinuation of a fluent societal mainframe.Several of these needs are met with the

institution of marriage, these needs being:

The perpetuation of the species

protection of bloodlines

a system of guidelines to ensure an inheritanceof property


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Time of Marriage

Men wed once they were done withtheir military service to the state whichwould typically be completed by the

age of 30


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Their female counterparts wouldtypically be wed from the ages 15-18

This was taken as a precaution to

ensure that the women were mostlikely virgins


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Symbols of Marriage

The brides gown was redwhich represented fire.Originally, this was traditionalso as to ward off evil spirits butthe color eventually became asymbol of the intensity of herlove


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The Marriage Process

The betrothment of the groom and bride werearranged by the parents of the both families

The marriage process began with anengagement that was meant to establish a

formal contract amongst the families involved During this engagement, a dowry was

formulated and it would be agreed upon bythe families what amount of assets would

prove fortuidable for the wife to take with herto her new home with her husband


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The wedding day was celebratedseparately at the respective homes of

the bride and grooms families. Many rituals were carried out

throughout the wedding proceedings


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In one ritual, the bride to be wouldbathe in sanctified water so as topurify her and preordain her towards

her new life


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The husband would lead the bridefrom her homestead and take her withhim to his home


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Greeting the bride at the door of her newhome was her mother-in-law with a torch inhand

The groom would then lead his new wife tothe family hearth where the two of themwere showered with symbolic spices such as

figs, dates, or nuts as tokens of good luck


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The day after the ceremony takesplace a procession arrives from thebrides old home to bring gifts to the

newly weds


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The Role of Marriage for women

To the Bride, marriage marked thetransition from the roles she acclaimedas a child and the roles she wasexpected to fulfill as an adult.

In this way, marriage refines thetransition from adolescence intoadulthood


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Role of Marriage in ReligiousContext

In mixing religious and sentimental elements into themarriage ceremony, the Greeks ensured that religionwould be ensnared in all spectrums of life within theGreek community

The blending of sentimentality and religious fervor into

the institution of marriage reaffirms the beliefs andcustoms Greek citizens were expected to conform to.


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Hera

Hera was the Greek goddess of Marriage inGreek life.It was believed that she protected the womenfrom every step along her marriage.She was often portrayed as a defender of theinviolability of marriage and monogamy

marriage in ancient greece

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