Spartan cloaks and clasps

[Ghostmojo]

Spartan women of the Spartiate class had considerably more freedom than other Greek ladies, and almost certainly more leisure time. Girls grew up at home with their mothers and learnt relevant domestic chores. They tended to marry later than other Greek females (by the standards of the day) and probably had more opportunity to gain some education before this happened. It is possible that they indulged in some hunting (being taught the use of a javelin) and were as involved in the rearing of horses as were men.

This situation would probably have been somewhat different for Spartan women of the hypomeiones or mothakes orders, and of course these groups grew larger as time went on throughout the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. This is a grey area about which we can say little with any certainty, other than people had to survive and being barred from the homoioi classes would have both necessitated and allowed for taking on productive work.

Periokoi and Helotai women (doulai) did most of the weaving, although Spartan women did possess such skills and seemingly employed them more for the purposes of rituals. Alkman mentions ten girls who between them only wove one cloak (also ritual purposes). I'm sure these roles varied over the ages - certainly into the Hellenistic and later periods, but during the Archaic and Classical periods it seems to me unlikely that Spartan women of substance would have been involved in garmenting/equipping the menfolk. And of course the involvement in any labour that was designed for sale or profit was prohibited to homoioi and their womenfolk in equal measure. The short Spartan cloak was probably state-issued and created by perioikoi women to order.

Although Helen is allegedly Spartan - her mythical nature and pedigree make her both regal and probably pre-Heralklid. Therefore, she was more likely Akhaian and existing in a timeframe (if indeed she ever did) well before the days of the Lykourgan reforms. Helen was central to many Lakedaimonian cults and it is to Homer we owe our 'knowledge' about her talents for spinning and weaving.