wards of her
husband--The patrician marriage of _confarreatio_--The form
known as _coemptio_--Marriage by _usus_--The inequality of
divorce--The subjection of the woman--The terrible right of
the husband's _manus_--The way of escape--The development of
the early marriage by _usus_--The new free marriage by
consent--Free divorce--A revolution in the position of
women--The patriarchal rule of women dwindled to a mere
thread--They gained increasingly greater liberty until at
last they gained complete freedom--The public entry of women
into the affairs of State--Illustrations to show the fine use
made by the Roman matrons of their freedom--An examination
into the supposed licentiousness of Roman women--This opinion
cannot be accepted--The effect of Christianity--The view of
Sir Henry Maine--Some concluding remarks on the position of
women in the four great civilisations examined in this
chapter.

CHAPTER VII

WOMAN'S POSITION IN THE GREAT CIVILISATIONS OF ANTIQUITY

I.--_In Egypt_

"If we consider the status of woman in the great empires of
antiquity, we find on the whole that in their early stage, the
stage of growth, as well as in their final stage, the stage of
fruition, women tend to occupy a favourable position, while in
their middle stage, usually the stage of predominating military
organisation on a patriarchal basis, women usually occupy a less
favourable position. This cyclic movement seems to be almost a
natural law of development of great social
groups."--HAVELOCK ELLIS.

The civilisations through which I am now going to follow the history
of woman, in so far as they offer any special features of interest to
our inquiry into woman's character and her true place in the social
order, belong to the great civilisations of the ancient world,
civilisations, moreover, that have deeply influenced human culture. It
forms the second part of our historical investigation. There can be no
doubt of its interest to us, for if we can prove that women have
exercised unquestioned and direct authority in the family and in the
State, not only among primitive peoples, but in stable civilisations
of vital culture, we shall be in a position to answer those who wish
to set limits to women's present activities.

It is necessary to enter into this inquiry with caution: the
difficulties befor