Stele inscribed with a decree related to the ban on the circulation of women on Kea
The Boule and the assembly of Kea decided at some point in the first half of the 3rd century BC to impose a complete ban on the circulation of the island’s free women and maidens for their “safety”. In addition to the prohibition, the stele also specifies the monetary penalties if a woman or a maiden violated the law by “walking” outside: it would incur a fine of ten drachms on women, while the exact amount of the fine for maidens has been lost.
Although the reasons for the adoption of this measure on Keos during the early Hellenistic period remain unknown, it is presumed that the law was associated with the Chremonidean War (267/6-262/1 BC) and the installation of a Ptolemaic garrison on the island. Women were either threatened by the presence of the garrison, or at risk of being abducted by pirates.
