
In this article:
- Women weren’t always treated as second-class citizens. Their legal rights varied across different periods of history and civilizations.
- The first republic to give women the right to vote wasn’t New Zealand. It was the short-lived Corsican Republic back in 1755.
- Whether you want to become a legendary warrior, build your own business empire, or just get married and divorced a bunch without judgment, these 6 societies should be on your time travel bucket list.
- Be sure to check out the historic sites that have since been destroyed while you’re there.
Time travel is cool. Whether you’re going backward or forward in time, the idea of being able to take a glimpse at eras outside of our short human lifespans has captivated us for generations. It shows up in everything: books, games, movies, TV shows, you name it.
As fun as it is to think about what it would be like to walk down the streets of ancient Greece or sneak into speakeasies during the Prohibition era, most of us wouldn’t have had a great time in many eras of human history.
It took until 1967 for anti-miscegenation laws that prohibited interracial marriage to be struck down as unconstitutional. Go a little further back and you could go to jail for being gay. A bit more and you probably wouldn’t have the right to own property if you were a woman.
So what’s a female time traveler to do? If you’re a woman from the future planning her next stop in the annals of time, look no further. These six societies are “safe” for you to visit, especially in case your time machine breaks down and you’re stranded in the past.
1. Sparta

Ancient Sparta is probably the most well-known ancient society that gave women rights. Admittedly, the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean aren’t entirely safe since they tend to fight each other every now and then. But if you stick to Sparta, you can enjoy an unspoiled view of the sea without anyone asking where your male guardian is.
You could own land, inherit property in your own right, enter legally binding contracts in your own name, and receive a formal education.
Women in ancient Sparta had it pretty great compared to women in the other Greek city-states. You could own land, inherit property in your own right, enter legally binding contracts in your own name, and receive a formal education. Many Spartan women continued their education up until 18 or 20, which was around when they would get married. Not bad for its time.
You could also hang out with the ladies at the local temple of Artemis and ask them about how you can join the Spartan Olympics. You read that right. Spartan women could participate in the Olympics and other areas of public life. So if you wanted to try being an ancient businesswoman, you can do that, too.
If you decide to go to ancient Sparta, check out the massive theatre in the city. The Theatre of Ancient Sparta is located south of Acropolis Hill and at 141 meters in diameter, it could hold quite the crowd. Perfect for watching a performance of The Iliad. Before you leave, remember to stop by the Tomb of King Leonidas which can be found north of Sparta.

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2. The Iroquois Confederacy

Female time travelers who loved New York City should try visiting the place back in 1570 after the Peacemaker united five Native American tribes under Gayanesshagowa (The Great Law of Peace).
This event marked the beginning of the Iroquois Confederacy or Kanonsionni which is what the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), its citizens, called it.
A quick bit of history: “Iroquois” might be a popular name for the confederacy and its people, but it’s derived from a French variant of the word for “snake” that another tribe used as a derogatory name for the Haudenosaunee. Moving forward, I’ll be using the name Kanonsionni.
Aside from being able to participate in business, women chose who became the next sachem (chief) which gave them a degree of political power.
So back to the Kanonsionni and its women. The Haudenosaunee women were able to participate in public life, both political and economic. Aside from being able to participate in business, women chose who became the next sachem (chief) which gave them a degree of political power. Additionally, Haudenosaunee families were organized around the woman’s side of the family so women could effectively oust bad husbands from the family home and still maintain custody of their children.
But where to go in upper New York state and southeastern Canada during the 1500s? You could take a relaxing, tourist-free hike of the Catskill Mountains, see the Thousand Islands that runs through the present-day border of the U.S. and Canada, or see Niagara Falls before its dam is constructed in 1953.
3. Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt is another popular time travel destination because of its rich culture and long history. The civilization existed from 3,100 B.C until 332 B.C when Alexander the Great came to conquer the nation.
Its nearly 30 century-long history means that local laws and social norms would have varied a lot from era to era so, please, do some additional research before you take your time machine there. As much as possible, try to avoid popping in during one of the long droughts.
They could file court cases, get sued, serve as witnesses or in juries, as well as purchase, own, and dispose of real and personal property.
Let’s start with the caveat: if you were a woman in ancient Egypt, you didn’t have a lot of social or political power since women were typically tied to the domestic sphere. In non-academic speak, that means they stayed at home and ran the household, rarely running businesses or holding jobs outside of the house.
Under the law, though? Women enjoyed many of the same rights as men and they weren’t just token rights. Ancient Egyptian women had full legal personalities. They could file court cases, get sued, serve as witnesses or in juries, as well as purchase, own, and dispose of real and personal property.
The latter part is an important distinction to make because while other societies did allow women to inherit property, buy it, and hold it in their own name, not all of them allowed her to dispose of it without limitations. An example of this is Regency women’s rights. Even if a woman inherited property from a father, she had to give up her rights to it to her husband. It was only in 1926 that women in the UK could sell their property without anyone looking over their shoulders.
Sound great? Let’s pick out a few sights for you to see. Of course, you should visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, but you can also pay your respects at the Temple of Horus in Edfu. If you have extra time (and you do because you’re a time traveler) try to visit Nimrud’s Northwest Palace in Mosul, the capital of the Neo-Assyrian empire, before ISIS bombs it into dust in April 2015.
4. Tang Dynasty China

Being a woman sucked during many periods of ancient Chinese history. Just think of trying to dodge foot binding or being abandoned/aborted for being born a woman during the days of the One Child Policy.
But Chinese civilization is one of the oldest in human history and the nation has a long artistic tradition that would make any lover of the arts swoon. So, if you’d still like to pay China a visit, do it during the Tang dynasty when economic wealth allowed society to advance into a more equal way of life.
As with most societies on this list, you were more equal if you were a rich woman since the Tang dynasty still had a strongly patriarchal social and legal structure. That said, there were a lot more freedoms available for women. Clothing became less restrictive during the era, allowing women to participate in horse riding and other public activities.
What makes Tang dynasty China great for women was mostly the loosening of social norms about what was acceptable for a woman to do than any actual rights.
According to a paper by Bosen Zhang in Advances in Social Science Education and Humanities Research, a journal published by the Atlantic Press, horse riding became a social custom for women in the Tang dynasty. This activity, previously dominated by men, reflected the ability of women to participate in civic life.
They could take part in political discourse and, on rare occasions, directly participate in politics themselves. Several historic figures like Empress Wu Zetian, Princess Xu Hui, and Empress Zhangsun emerged in the era as female politicians.
Common women, by law, also had the right to choose their husbands, divorce them, and remarry after that. Still, both men and women were subject to their family’s decisions on marriage.
What makes Tang dynasty China great for women was mostly the loosening of social norms about what was acceptable for a woman to do than any actual rights. Tang dynasty women didn’t have the right to inherit property, work outside the home, and receive a formal education.
Should you decide to park your time machine in the Tang dynasty, check out Chaoyuan Pavilion, the favorite retreat of Emperor Xuanzhong. In its heydey, Chaoyuan Pavillion would have been a lively palace filled with cultivated gardens and soft music of the pipa. These days, it’s just an eroded rammed earth structure despite once being home to the remains of Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu.
5. Iron Age Celtic Societies

Celtic societies during the Iron age gave women more rights than other civilizations in the area at that time. Let me be clear, though: the Celts are not a monolith. It’s more of a collection of several culturally related tribal societies than it is one single and fixed civilization.
They could serve as healers, businesswomen, priestesses, druids, and diplomats.
Much like ancient Egyptian women, Celtic ladies didn’t have a significant presence in politics. That didn’t mean they had zero influence, though. Celtic girls were taught both domestic and martial skills. They could serve as healers, businesswomen, priestesses, druids, and diplomats.
If a Celtic woman married, she was seen as a partner to her husband rather than property, like Roman women were. While the specific rules varied, she could choose her own husband and get her fair share of their property in the event that one of them wanted a divorce.
Celtic women’s uniquely free lives compared to other women of ancient societies made them notable to classical authors. Ammianus Marcellinus says of them: “A whole band of foreigners will be unable to cope with one [Gaul] in a fight, if he calls in his wife.”
It’s a bit exaggerated since men tend to be physically stronger than women, but it gives us an idea of how formidable non-Celts thought them to be. Gaelic mythology reflects this in the form of Scathach, the female warrior who trained Cúchulainn, a legendary warrior.
When you go there, don’t forget to visit the Celtic settlements on the rolling hills of A Guarda, Spain which has a scenic view of Portugal on the other side of the Miño River river.
6. Corsican Republic

Eager to visit a time less traveled? The short-lived Corsican Republic is a great destination for female time travelers looking for an adventure that’s off the beaten path.
The Corsican Republic was a mistake. The Republic of Genoa, situated on the Italian coast, was the original owner of the island country which they treated more like a colony than a part of Genoa.
In 1729, Corsicans revolted against the Genoese after the Republic raised taxes too high.
The Corsicans gained independence for only a few years, as is the fate of any small country surrounded by bigger, more powerful ones.
The Republic of Corsica did what the rest of the world would take centuries to do: give women the right to vote.
But in its brief shining moment, the Republic of Corsica did what the rest of the world would take centuries to do: give women the right to vote. Corsican women gained the right to vote in 1755 and wouldn’t regain it until, as citizens of France, they were granted suffrage on April 21, 1944.
Things get a little more complicated if you’re a female and queer time traveler, but there are still Ancient Civilizations Where It Was Okay to Be Gay for you to visit.
Please consult with your era’s designated time travel support agency. A Little Bit Human, its writers, affiliates, and partners will not assume any form of liability for physical or psychological harm, loss of property, or damaged time machines that result from time travelers using its articles as a travel guide.