ABSTRACT
Each of the major classical civilizations developed a distinctive version of patriarchy, particularly in relation to the dominant cultural and political systems. The chapter defines the characteristics of Confucian and Hindu gender relations, and how each introduced distinctive complexities into the basic patriarchal criteria. It goes into greater detail concerning developments in Greece, Hellenistic and Roman societies, including the importance of same-sex relationships. It also discusses the nature of travelers’ accounts in purveying often distorted stereotypes of gender systems in other societies—a problem that has persisted though in less vivid forms.
