Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

74 Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks
divorced his wife, he not only returned the dowry but also her
jewelry and clothing. The clear purpose of this law was to provide
some protection for women and to ensure that divorcees were not
left financially destitute.
Athenian law also imposed strict regulations upon the marriage
of a daughter whose father died leaving no male heir. (Athenians
were required by law to bequeath the bulk of their estates to their
sons.) Such a woman was known as an epiklêros, which literally
means “attached to the klêros or estate.” The estate in question did
not actually belong to her but merely accompanied her when she
married. Because it was the duty of the nearest male relative to
claim an epiklêros as his wife, an epiklêros might, and occasionally
did, marry her uncle. So strictly was the law upheld that, in some
cases, existing marriages were dissolved in order to comply with
it. Its purpose was to keep property within the family and thus
prevent the amalgamation of several oikoi. For much the same reason,
marriages were often contracted between relatives, especially
among the wealthy.
Woman seated in a high-backed chair or klismos.
From Thomas Hope, Costumes of the Greeks and
Romans (New York: Dover, 1962). Reprinted by
permission of Dover Publications.