Sarah B Pomeroy's work, "Pythagorean Women" aims to provide a comprehensive study of Pythagorean and Neo-Pythagorean women, including their issues, social history and written. While it is true that there are previous writings (by other historians) detailing information about famous Pythagorean women (in their relationship to Pythagoras himself), Pomeroy's work serves as a gap filler and represents the first comprehensive study written on the topic of social history. of Pythagorean women. Her comments are unique, because she chooses to place emphasis on the lives of women in Pythagorean society, which is often overlooked in historical literature compared to the Athenian Greeks. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The book is intended to be an accessible learning resource for a general audience, including readers who may not be well versed in the story of Pythagoras. The book is organized in a practical way for those who wish to approach this topic for the first time. Pomeroy begins his book with a short chapter on the most famous Pythagorean women in history and where they came from. It then delves into the topic of Pythagorean rules, expectations, and philosophies relating to women as wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters in Pythagorean society. Next, she outlines the history of Neopythagorean women, introduces the women's prose writings, and explains the differences in the treatise letters of Neopythagorean women in the East versus those in the West. Finally, Pomeroy includes a chapter on Neo-Pythagorean women as philosophers, written by her fellow historian, Vicki Lynn Harper. As Pomeroy points out in his introduction, to understand the history of Pythagorean women, a distinction is made between Pythagorean women and Neo-Pythagorean women. women. Those who are labeled "Pythagorean women" are the contemporaries of the philosopher Pythagoras, his students, wives and daughters: these women lived in the late Archaic and Classical periods. Those who are labeled "Neo-Pythagorean women" are the women who followed the Pythagorean women before them, both biologically and intellectually: these women were mostly Hellenistic women. In Pomeroy's writings on the origins of the Pythagoreans, she carefully notes that there is historical evidence that the two most important women in Pythagoras' life, his mother and his wife, were both literate women. Theano of Croton, his wife, was the first recorded female philosopher in Greek history, and Pythagoras' mother, Pythias, was known to have written notes on tablets about Pythagoras' apparent resurrection from the Underworld. The writings of his wife and mother highlight the fact that Pythagoras came from a family of educated women, which may explain why Pythagoras had more respect for women in his philosophical teachings than his Greek contemporaries. According to Pomeroy, Pythagoras' philosophy set a relatively uniform standard for men and women. Although women were not afforded the same rights in Greek society as a whole, Pythagoras did not treat women as aliens or lowly animals in his teachings. Indeed, Pomeroy points out that when women approached Pythagoras and asked him to instruct their husbands to get rid of their concubines, he listened to them and included this in his teachings. This was because Pythagoras had a high regard for the nuclear family dynamic and made sure that everyone lived as harmoniously as possible in their family. He taught his students that both men and women must have the characteristics of sophrosyne(discipline, self-control and order). Both men and women were expected to be monogamous, and the only type of sexual acts considered pure were marital relations. Pomeroy further delves into the complexities of this philosophical teaching and explains that the reason (why only marital relations were considered pure) is that sexual relations were strictly encouraged for those who wanted to have legitimate children together. It also assumes that same-sex relationships and post-menopausal relationships would not be considered pure, as neither act can produce children. I agree with Pomeroy's conclusions here, and she remarkably fills in the gaps of what has remained unsaid in the Pythagorean philosophies passed down throughout history. After explaining the foundations of Pythagorean philosophy, particularly regarding the role of women in marriage and family, Pomeroy moves his book to the discussion of Neo-Pythagorean women's writings and philosophies. It is at this point in the book that the distinction between the generation of Pythagorean women and that of Neo-Pythagorean women becomes more important. Following the disappearance of the original Pythagorean society, due to the conquest and dispersion of their territories at the end of the 5th century BC, philosophy did not die. The Middle Comedy represented the Pythagoreans of the time as poor and unkempt. However, there are Neo-Pythagorean letters, written by women of the time, that seem to oppose that centuries-old narrative. The letters include personal details about the women's daily lives that indicate their economic comfort during that time period, such as information about their slaves, their husbands spending a lot of money on women outside of their marriage, and discussions about whether or less than not to hire a nanny. Pomeroy does not see the two opposing perspectives as an inconsistency. He assumes that the Neopythagoreans might have been perceived as poor because they followed a strict diet (most were vegetarians), wore only simple clothing, and neglected to wear gold jewelry or cosmetic products. I believe that his historical opinion on this topic serves as an effective conclusion and that he has sufficient evidence to draw this conclusion. He doesn't take a leap of faith in this opinion, rather he draws inspiration from the rules of the Pythagorean lifestyle and lets both narratives appear legitimate. In her commentary on Neo-Pythagorean women's writings, Pomeroy takes care to address a popular debate among her fellow historians – whether women were actually the authors of the texts they are credited with. Pomeroy successfully exposes the misogynistic assumption that the texts were written by men and could not have been written by women. It does this in two ways. First, she writes that there is a plethora of archaeological evidence pointing to the fact that women wrote and read regularly during the Hellenistic period. This occurs not only through the texts written by women, but also through the works of art sold to the general public at the time. This artwork included a series of illustrations of women reading, writing, and participating in musical art activities, which shows the normalization of female literacy in the middle class. Second, she argues that if the first argument did not exist and women were discouraged from reading and writing, no one in their right mind would choose to publish works under a female pseudonym. Overall, as Pomeroy points out, the writings of Pythagorean and Neo-Pythagorean women were faithful to the philosophies of Pythagoras. They wrote on various topics such as sexual attraction in a marital relationship, parenting, living a harmonious modern life, and modesty. For a woman who lived in the times of society.