Rachel bergenstock

Marriage Continued

According to Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks Gender In History, marriage in Ancient Sparta was monogamous. It was commonly this way because Spartans put a very big emphasis on child-bearing and reproduction. So much so that women were treated very well as opposed to the cruel way most other ancient civilizations treated women. Spartans wanted women to eat very well and have a lot of exercise so they were very healthy and prepared to carry a child. Also, something not very common at this time is that men and women got married when they were around the same age, usually 18. Marriage also began with a trial marriage this was because they wanted to make sure that the man and woman could successfully conceive children. Lastly, remarriage and divorce was very much accepted especially if you could not successfully have children with your current spouse.