Read complete books and articles on: Women in Ancient Greece and Rome

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13 of the Best Books and Articles on: Women in Ancient Greece and Rome

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Women and Law in Classical Greece » Read Now
by Raphael Sealey. 204 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
2.

Women's Roles in Ancient Civilizations: A Reference Guide (Chap. 8 "Women in Ancient Greece" and Chap 9 "Women in the Ancient Roman World") » Read Now
by Bella Vivante. 392 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Knowledge about the roles of women in ancient civilizations has been limited to traditionally held notions, but recent discoveries and research have led to exciting insights into the great variety of ways in which women contributed to ancient cultures. This reference work, designed for student...
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Knowledge about the roles of women in ancient civilizations has been limited to traditionally held notions, but recent discoveries and research have led to exciting insights into the great variety of ways in which women contributed to ancient cultures. This reference work, designed for student research, features lengthy essays and a wealth of new information about women's roles in twelve ancient civilizations around the world--China, India, Japan, Mesopotamia, the Levant, Egypt, West Africa, Greece, Rome, the Maya, the Inca, and Native North America.
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3.

Marriage, Divorce, and Children in Ancient Rome » Read Now
by Beryl Rawson. 264 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The family has played a central role in most societies, and the complexity and variety of that role demonstrates there is no single definition or pattern of "the family" in any society. Recent studies of ancient Rome have shown that the sentimental ideal of a core nuclear family was strong...
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The family has played a central role in most societies, and the complexity and variety of that role demonstrates there is no single definition or pattern of "the family" in any society. Recent studies of ancient Rome have shown that the sentimental ideal of a core nuclear family was strong throughout the period, but that reality often diverged from the ideal. This study examines many aspects of the composition and inner workings of the Roman family, and provides an illuminating case study of the sentimental ideal versus everyday reality. In addition, Rawson considers the effect of divorce, high mortality rates, status, and fostering on the family in ancient Rome.
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4.

Life in Ancient Athens: The Social and Public Life of a Classical Athenian from Day to Day (Chap. IV "Citizens, Outlanders, Slaves: Women") » Read Now
by T. G. Tucker. 320 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
5.

Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History ("Becoming a Spartan Woman" begins on p. 141) » Read Now
by Stanley M. Burstein, Walter Donlan, Sarah B. Pomeroy, Jennifer Tolbert Roberts. 514 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The book introduces readers to the history and civilization of ancient Greece in all its complexity and variety, from its first beginnings in the Bronze Age (c. 3000 BC) through the Hellenistic Era (c. 150 BC). Employing a truly balanced approach to history -- integrating its political, military...
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The book introduces readers to the history and civilization of ancient Greece in all its complexity and variety, from its first beginnings in the Bronze Age (c. 3000 BC) through the Hellenistic Era (c. 150 BC). Employing a truly balanced approach to history -- integrating its political, military, social and cultural aspects -- the authors show how the early Greeks borrowed from their neighbours but eventually developed a distinctive culture all their own marked by astonishing creative, versatility, and resilience. They go on to trace the complex and surprising evolution of Greek civilization to its eventual dissolution as it merged with a variety of other cultures. Using the physical evidence of archaeology, the written testimony of literary texts and inscriptions, and anthropological models based on comparative studies, this book provides an account of the Greek world that is thoughtful and sophisticated while remaining accessible to readers who know little or nothing about Greece. The four renowned authors of this book, whose interests range from the study of women in the ancient world to military and diplomatic history, have produced a lively, up-to-date and balanced account of rich civilization.
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6.

Women's History and Ancient History » Read Now
by Sarah B. Pomeroy. 318 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
7.

Everyday Life in Ancient Greece (Chap. VII "Women and Slaves") » Read Now
by C. E. Robinson. 159 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...390. The Gauls sack Rome. 338. Athens and...8 I. LIFE IN THE HEROIC AGE 11...68 VII. WOMEN AND SLAVES 81...1. Map to illustrate Greece in Homeric Times 12...21 6. An...
8.

A Day in Old Rome: A Picture of Roman Life (Chap. IV "Roman Women and Roman Marriages") » Read Now
by William Stearns Davis. 482 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The classic account, first published in 1925, about daily life of the various classes of ancient Rome.
9.

Aspects of Social Behavior in Ancient Rome (Chap. I "The Roman Family") » Read Now
by Tenney Frank. 155 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...ASPECTS OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN ANCIENT ROME I THE ROMAN FAMILY WHEN...especially by the differences in the position of women in the Greek and Roman house...But it is very...
10.

Girls and Women in Classical Greek Religion » Read Now
by Matthew Dillon. 437 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

It has often been thought that participation in fertility rituals was women's most important religious activity in classical Greece. Matthew Dillon's wide-ranging study makes it clear that women engaged in numerous other rites and cults, and that their role in Greek religion was actually more...
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It has often been thought that participation in fertility rituals was women's most important religious activity in classical Greece. Matthew Dillon's wide-ranging study makes it clear that women engaged in numerous other rites and cults, and that their role in Greek religion was actually more important than that of men. Women invoked the gods' help in becoming pregnant, venerated the god of wine, worshipped new and exotic deities, used magic for both erotic and pain-relieving purposes, and far more besides.Clear and comprehensive, this volume challenges many stereotypes of Greek women and offers unexpected insights into their experience of religion. With more than fifty illustrations, and translated extracts from contemporary texts, this is an essential resource for the study of women and religion in classical Greece.
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11.

Citizen Bacchae: Women's Ritual Practice in Ancient Greece » Read Now
by Barbara Goff. 400 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Literature, Entire Library

What activities did the women of ancient Greece perform in the sphere of ritual, and what were the meanings of such activities for them and for their culture? By offering answers to these questions, this study aims to recover and reconstruct an important dimension of the lived experience of ancient...
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What activities did the women of ancient Greece perform in the sphere of ritual, and what were the meanings of such activities for them and for their culture? By offering answers to these questions, this study aims to recover and reconstruct an important dimension of the lived experience of ancient Greek women. A comprehensive and sophisticated investigation of the ritual roles of women in ancient Greece, it draws on a wide range of evidence from across the Greek world, including literary and historical texts, inscriptions, and vase-paintings, to assemble a portrait of women as religious and cultural agents, despite the ideals of seclusion within the home and exclusion from public arenas that restricted their lives.
As she builds a picture of the extent and diversity of women's ritual activity, Barbara Goff shows that they were entrusted with some of the most important processes by which the community guaranteed its welfare. She examines the ways in which women's ritual activity addressed issues of sexuality and civic participation, showing that ritual could offer women genuinely alternative roles and identities even while it worked to produce wives and mothers who functioned well in this male-dominated society.
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12.

Women's Religions in the Greco-Roman World: A Sourcebook » Read Now
by Ross Shepard Kraemer. 487 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

This is a substantially expanded and completely revised edition of a book originally published in 1988 as Maenads, Martyrs, Matrons, Monastics. The book is a collection of translations of primary texts relevant to women's religion in Western antiquity, from the fourth century BCE to the fifth...
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This is a substantially expanded and completely revised edition of a book originally published in 1988 as Maenads, Martyrs, Matrons, Monastics. The book is a collection of translations of primary texts relevant to women's religion in Western antiquity, from the fourth century BCE to the fifth century CE. The selections are taken from the plethora of ancient religions, including Judaism and Christianity, and are translated from the six major languages of the Greco-Roman world: Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Coptic. The texts are grouped thematically in six sections: Observances, Rituals, and Festivals; Researching Real Women: Documents to, from and by Women; Religious Office; New Religious Affiliation and Conversion; Holy, Pious, and Exemplary Women; and The Feminine Divine. Women's Religions in the Greco-Roman World provides a unique and invaluable resource for scholars of classical antiquity, early Christianity and Judaism, and women's religion more generally.
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13.

Matrona Docta: Educated Women in the Roman Aelite from Cornelia to Julia Domna » Read Now
by Emily A. Hemelrijk. 382 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Matrona Docta presents a unique study of the education of upper-class women in Roman society in the central period of Roman history, from the second century BC to AD 235.Emily A. Hemelrijk reconstructs women's opportunities to acquire an education, the impediments they faced, the level of education...
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Matrona Docta presents a unique study of the education of upper-class women in Roman society in the central period of Roman history, from the second century BC to AD 235.Emily A. Hemelrijk reconstructs women's opportunities to acquire an education, the impediments they faced, the level of education they could reach and the judgement on educated women in Roman society. She examines also the role of women as patronesses of literature, learning and Roman women's writing.
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