Fertility. The true purpose of marriage was procreation; in the Classical Period, it was to produce male offspring who would later fight on behalf of the city-state and participate in its governance. In fact, the birth of offspring was considered a right of Athenian wives; the law made it mandatory for the husband of an heiress to consort with her three times a month. Because of the importance of legitimate heirs to the household and the city, female fertility and childbirth were of great concern to the ancient Greeks. Women turned to female deities such as Hera, Artemis, and Eileithuia, the goddess of childbirth, to assist in conception and childbirth. A couple suffering from infertility might consult Apollo's oracle at Delphi to find a remedy, as did the mythical Athenian king Aegeus, the father of Theseus, or make offerings to...