WOMEN IN THE IRANIAN (PERSIAN) EMPIRE

Private dinners of the Persian king's included the presence of the King's wife and the king's mother.
Heracleides of Kyme knew that the King's wife joined the King at breakfast and dinner. It was generally
believed by the Greek's that the Persian women and men feasted together, drinking wine as did the
Scythians and Carthaginians (Plato, Laws 637d-e).

It becomes clear that the participation of women in royal banquets and the Persian court life, was a
cause of resentment by the Greeks. In contrast to the Greek custom, women at the Persian court took
part in feasts, it marked an important difference between the two cultures. In Greek understanding it
was inappropriate for wives, or in fact any respectable woman, to be seen in such gatherings.

The implication is that such behaviour befitted only barbarians (cf. Plato, Laws 637c; Theopompos, FGrH
115 F 204), as it revealed their lack of order and their inferiority.

The apparent direct involment of Persian women with the social affairs of the court, was observed and
understood by the Greeks in comparison with their social and moral code. It not only was an _expression
of the otherness of the Persians in general, but also another example of the King's extravagance.

Even the Macedonian court resented the women's participation in banquets, as we gather from the
Macedonians who had to accept it as a change introduced by Alexander (Curt.6.2. I).

Herodotus describes Persian women as individuals who acted in complete independence from their husbands.
The underlying attitude of all Greek writers was that royal women of the Achaemenid court were active
and dangerous protagonists.

Later Greek authors like Plato and Xenophon knew of land owned by the Kings wife (Plato, Alc. I 123c-124a;
Xen. an. I. 4. 9; 2. 4. 27).


SHAHROOZ D.V ASH ORANGE COUNTY, SOUTHERN CALIFORNI