The Symposium on Ancient Greece will end this week with several lectures including one Tuesday that will focus on the family life of Ancient Greeks and the role of women in society.

Mikki Meadows, an associate professor of family and consumer sciences, will present “Ancient Greek/Contemporary U.S. Families: Both Alike and Different.” Oyindamola Idowu, a technology graduate student, will present “Ancient Greece Funeral and Marriage: Beliefs and Philosophy.”

Both lectures will begin at 7 p.m. in Room 4440 of Booth Library.

Idowu said she chose to focus on the lives of women in Ancient Greece because it was something she simply wanted to know more about. She said she has always had an interest in history but not necessarily Ancient Greece.

“I wanted to know how women in Ancient Greece lived, how they were treated, since a happy home is every woman’s dream,” Idowu said. “ I wanted to know what that meant in Ancient Greece.”

She said as she began general research on the lives of women in Ancient Greece, she became more captivated with the subject and expanded her topic to the belief system of the women she was studying.

“When I started studying documents about the Ancient Greeks, I discovered very amazing things, and I began to ask myself ‘Why did they do this and that?’” Idowu said. “That led me to study a little bit about their belief system.”

Along with learning about the culture of Ancient Greece, Idowu said she also learned about herself and the beliefs of current society through her research.

“I have learned not to criticize other people’s beliefs or values or to assume that the ancient man was less intelligent than we are,” Idowu said. “For every action that people take, there must be a reason, and until you find that reason, do not judge others.”

She said because of learning how the women of Ancient Greece were treated, she now better appreciates her rights as a woman living in the current age.

“My study into history has helped me to better appreciate the world I live in, the morals that my religion teaches and one more important thing—not to take the freedom that I now enjoy as a woman for granted or see it as an avenue to be immoral,” Idowu said.

Through her presentation, she said she hopes to educate people on the role of women in Ancient Greece but also hopes to start a discussion.

“The most interesting part, however, will be why women and girls were treated as such,” Idowu said. “Together with students and community members, we will determine if Ancient Greece holds any appeal for today’s woman and why.”

Amy Wywialowski can be reached at 581-2812 or alwywialowski@eiu.edu.