Uxoricide in Pregnancy: Ancient Greek Domestic Violence in Evolutionary Perspective

Previous studies of ancient Greek examples of uxoricide in pregnancy have concluded that the theme is used to suggest tyrannical abuse of power and that the violence is a product of the patriarchal nature of ancient society. This article uses evolutionary analyses of violence during pregnancy to arg...

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Main Authors: Susan Deacy, Fiona McHardy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2013-12-01
Series:Evolutionary Psychology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491301100505
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author Susan Deacy
Fiona McHardy
author_facet Susan Deacy
Fiona McHardy
author_sort Susan Deacy
collection DOAJ
description Previous studies of ancient Greek examples of uxoricide in pregnancy have concluded that the theme is used to suggest tyrannical abuse of power and that the violence is a product of the patriarchal nature of ancient society. This article uses evolutionary analyses of violence during pregnancy to argue that the themes of sexual jealousy and uncertainty over paternity are as crucial as the theme of power to an understanding of these examples and that the examples can be seen as typical instances of spousal abuse as it occurs in all types of society.
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spelling doaj.art-b11172b58fb84e7fa948a6ff5a81dc942024-02-18T17:03:48ZengSAGE PublishingEvolutionary Psychology1474-70492013-12-011110.1177/14747049130110050510.1177_147470491301100505Uxoricide in Pregnancy: Ancient Greek Domestic Violence in Evolutionary PerspectiveSusan DeacyFiona McHardyPrevious studies of ancient Greek examples of uxoricide in pregnancy have concluded that the theme is used to suggest tyrannical abuse of power and that the violence is a product of the patriarchal nature of ancient society. This article uses evolutionary analyses of violence during pregnancy to argue that the themes of sexual jealousy and uncertainty over paternity are as crucial as the theme of power to an understanding of these examples and that the examples can be seen as typical instances of spousal abuse as it occurs in all types of society.https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491301100505
spellingShingle Susan Deacy
Fiona McHardy
Uxoricide in Pregnancy: Ancient Greek Domestic Violence in Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary Psychology
title Uxoricide in Pregnancy: Ancient Greek Domestic Violence in Evolutionary Perspective
title_full Uxoricide in Pregnancy: Ancient Greek Domestic Violence in Evolutionary Perspective
title_fullStr Uxoricide in Pregnancy: Ancient Greek Domestic Violence in Evolutionary Perspective
title_full_unstemmed Uxoricide in Pregnancy: Ancient Greek Domestic Violence in Evolutionary Perspective
title_short Uxoricide in Pregnancy: Ancient Greek Domestic Violence in Evolutionary Perspective
title_sort uxoricide in pregnancy ancient greek domestic violence in evolutionary perspective
url https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491301100505
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