Women's Role in Civic Society

The male Athenian aristocracy erected an exemplary polis. The city-state reflected aesthetic perfection, civility, grace, and philosophical clarity of mind. As the "school of Hellas," in the words of Thucydides, Athens has proved to be fundamental for all Western cultures. It was also an originator of "civilized dominance," which meant sequestering, and it was suppressing its "non-phallic" population. This study explores the institutionalized subordinating of women, the muting of their ability to be heard, in an attempt to unearth the deeply entrenched precedents of abuse from phallic dominance within society.