Greek Life on Lesbos
Sappho is thought to have been part of the aris-
tocracy. Although exact information about her
parentage is unknown, most scholars think that
her parents were wealthy and that she was brought
up as part of a privileged class. In the sixth century
BCE, Greece was made up of many city-states,
each of which operated as an individual com-
munity and not under a unified government.
The island of Lesbos was more cosmopolitan
than the city of Athens, which was still largely a
farming community. Lesbos was an international
trading center that shipped wine throughout the
known world. The island was not a military
center like Athens would become, since unlike
Athens, Lesbos was not involved in near constant
warfare to defend farmland. Lesbos was also
further east than the rest of Greece and so had
been less affected by the Dark Ages, which were
brought about by the Dorian invasions five hun-
dred years earlier.
By the sixth centuryBCE,Lesboswasfar
ahead of Athens in its emphasis on art and culture.
The women on Lesbos also enjoyed more than the
limited freedoms offered to other Greek women,
especially the women of Athens. Women on Les-
bos had more autonomy, spoke freely in public,
and attended public gatherings. Their opinions
were valued, and women could be educated and
were encouraged to seek education. If Sappho
actually ran a school for young girls, it would
not have been the only school available for this
purpose. Although the great age of drama and
poetry would not emerge in Athens for another
hundred years, in Lesbos literary culture was
already encouraged. Young women were expected
to engage in the writing of poetry and songs. They
were also encouraged to play musical instruments,
most notably the lyre, which Sappho played well
and no doubt taught to her admirers. Young girls
were sent by their families to these schools, where
they lived about from the age of twelve until age
fifteen, when they left to marry. The freedom that
women enjoyed was not absolute. Political strife
could still interfere with life, even in the more
relaxed atmosphere of Lesbos. For instance,
although her family was wealthy and influential,
Sappho was exiled twice during her lifetime.TheAphrodite of Melos(Venus de Milo)(Image copyright Galina Barskaya, 2009. Used under license from Shutterstock.com)
Fragment 2