Research Paper on:
Social Status of Women in the Ancient Societies of Greece, Rome, and Mesopotamia

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
related to religion. Certain scripture regularly challenged women to disprove that they were inferior-to not agree was heresy. When religion did not work alone, scientific theory was included  as a factor in the equation that supported the ideal that women are inferior. Based upon a conviction of inferiority, male authorities were then able to design lifestyles for  women, including approved activities, mannerism, education, sexuality and religious pursuits. II. ANCIENT HISTORY To say that women had to fight for their existence throughout ancient history would be a  gross understatement and one that would also be staunchly supported by the likes of contemporary historians. Indeed, the road to female freedom and self-expression was been paved with patriarchal  intolerance and characteristic skepticism. That women were forced to prove their worthiness within the stringent boundaries of a male-dominated existence speaks volumes about the inherent fortitude that comprised the  ancient female spirit. The only place in which women held a somewhat higher social status was within the embrace of Christianity, a new and attractive option to an otherwise  oppressive existence. "Amidst contemporary denunciations of Christianity as patriarchal and sexist, it easily is forgotten that the early church was so especially attractive to women that in 370 the  Emperor Valentinian issued a written order to Pope Damasus I requiring the Christian missionaries to cease calling at the homes of pagan women. Although some classical writers claimed that  women were easy prey for any foreign superstition, most recognized that Christianity was unusually appealing because within the Christian subculture women enjoyed far higher status than did women in the  Greco-Roman world at large" (Stark PG). As translated, The Bible portrays both men and women negatively, yet the focus of Anglican Christianity has been that only women are "fallen"