2O4 FAMILY AND NEIGHBOURS vill

could be expressed that women alone are able to look after the
money, for 'where men rule the money belongs to the State'.1
Naturally voices could often be heard clamouring for the
supremacy of the husband and protesting against any 'dyarchy',
although it was hardly possible in real life for the husband to
lock up the pantry 2 The law introduced by the women's
government which allowed no man to dispose freely of more
than one medimnos may reflect the fact that the reverse was
in fact true and that women depended on their husbands for
support.3

Women's chief tasks In the house, apart from lookmgafter the
children and managing the servants, were cooking and baking,
spinning and weaving, and, besides these, the preparation
and dyeing of wool (see Plate XI^).4 Nevertheless they are
said to have found time, while their husbands were out, to
anoint themselves and to he in the sun, though here the situa-
tion is due to the plot, and this was hardly a common practice.5
Of course, clothes and cosmetics, even a razor, jewellery and
perfumes, all these 'man traps', played an important part in a
woman's life (see Plate XVII^).6 Clothes were kept m large
boxes (see Plate XVI lb\ and a certain kind of fruit was put
in to give a pleasant scent.7

Houses were, in general, very simple. The steps leading to
the upper floor were often dangerous, a ladder* rather than a
staircase.8 When a good meal was being got ready, the whole
house was filled with smoke ; in a poor cottage everything was
black and dirty with it.9 Utensils of gold and silver are often
mentioned, so are bolsters and cushions; but, on the whole,
very little was done to make conditions hygienic and comfort-
able.1 ° Vermin were not altogether unknown, but they were
more of a nuisance in inns ; in the Clouds they belong to the

1 adesp 519

3 Ear El 93 offing- 4.63 - Andr 464.5". — Th 41 8 ff, E.i4f, cf adesp 710

3 E i024f

4 L i8f — E.22iff, frg 9 D, Pherekr 22, and elsewhere — L 735f, E 6536
Eupolis3i9 — E 89, aijf, frg 651

6 In general, see, e g , L 42!*, i$of, 4o8ff, E 524^ 732, frg 17, 320, 632, cf
Eur. Hipp* 63off, Lysms I, 14, 17, Xen oiL 10, 2, symp 2, $f —Razor Th
z 1 8f,E.65f. — Mantraps frg 666
7Wio55f, cf frg. 69$,Plierekr 122, Eupolis 76. 8 Lysias, I, 9
a PLBigff.-Eur EL n39f " frg 19 -£347, 10591!