The Family in Classical Greece

Aspects of Greek & Roman Life

by W.K. Lacey

Discusses such topics as family life in Homeric society, Plato's ideal state, Sparta, and Crete and marriage, property, and women in Athens

Genres: History

342 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

W.K. Lacey was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and read Classics at Cambridge University, where his studies were interrupted by a spell in the Indian Army. Subsequently he was a Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, before moving to the Chair of Classics and Ancient History in the University of Auckland, New Zealand (1968-1987), of which he is now Emeritus. His best known books are The Family in Classical Greece (1968, reprinted many times) and Cicero and the End of the Roman Republic (1978); and he is a frequent contributor to classical journals, collections and works of reference.

Reviews

[Amanda Nunn]

My next book in my "chronological review of Greek literature" hadn't arrived yet, but I wanted to keep my flow, so I chose this one.

This book apparently started as a series of lectures, and this explains a lot. Many of the examples given are not elaborated upon - they seem to assume either an intimate familiarity with classical Greek literature, or that the reader has these works on hand along with the willingness to refer to them.

Considering I have read a lot of the works referred to over the past year, and I do own most of them, you'd think I'd have no problem. But unfortunately I do not remember the family history of every named warrior in the Iliad, for example. Call me lazy - but since I'm only reading for my own enjoyment and not doing serious research, I did not take the time to look up every reference.

That aside, the book was a lot more valuable than I expected. It gave me a new dimension of understanding on a lot of the stuff I've been reading, but especially the Odyssey in which Odysseus's family is so central to the narrative. It answers questions modern readers might have - like how come Odysseus is a king when his dad is still alive, and why doesn't Laertes step in while Odysseus is gone? It also reframes the villainy of the suitors - I tend to view their villainy in light of their treatment of Penelope: invading her home, violating her consent, and so on. The original audience would have viewed the behaviour much more strongly via the lens of what they were doing to Odysseus. Not just because of the patriarchal society (although that's definitely a factor), but because by messing with his home estate and his son's inheritance, they were actually messing with Odysseus's legacy, his ancestors, his descendants, and his immortal soul.