Women in Classical Antiquity - From Birth to Death

An introduction to women and gender in the classical world that draws on the most recent research in the field
 
Women in Classical Antiquity focuses on the important objects, events and concepts that combine to form a clear understanding of ancient Greek and Roman women and gender. Drawing on the most recent findings and research on the topic, the book offers an overview of the historical events, values, and institutions that are critical for appreciating and comparing the life situations of women across both cultures.
 
The author examines the lifecycle of women in ancient Greek and Rome beginning with how young females acquired the gendered characteristics necessary for adulthood. The text explores female adolescence, including concerns about virginity, medical views of the female body, religious roles, and education. Views of marriage, motherhood, sexual activity, adultery, and prostitution are also examined. In addition, the author explores how women exercised authority and the possibilities for their civic engagement. This important resource:
* Explores the formation of classical women's social identity through the life stages of birth, adolescence, marriage, childbirth, old age, and death
* Contains information on the most recent research in this rapidly evolving field
* Offers a review of the life course as a way to understand the social processes by which Greek and Roman females acquired gender traits
* Includes questions for review, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of key terms
 
Written for academics and students of classical antiquity, Women in Classical Antiquity offers a general introduction to women and gender in the classical world.

List of contents

List of Figures xi
 
List of Charts xiii
 
List of Boxes xv
 
Preface xvii
 
Acknowledgments xix
 
Abbreviations xxi
 
Timeline of the Classical World xxv
 
Maps xxix
 
Introduction 1
 
1 Approaches to Women and Gender in Classical Antiquity 3
 
1.1 Ancient Greek and Roman Sources 4
 
1.2 Gender in Context: Social Identity in the Ancient World 8
 
1.3 Critical Approaches 9
 
1.4 Structuralism 10
 
1.5 Psychoanalytic Criticism 11
 
1.6 Feminist Criticism 12
 
1.7 Cultural Criticism 13
 
1.8 Conclusion 14
 
Questions for Review 14
 
References 15
 
Further Reading 15
 
Greece 17
 
2 Introduction to Ancient Greece 19
 
2.1 Greece in the Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations 20
 
2.2 Iron Age 24
 
2.3 The Rise of the Polis in the Archaic Period 28
 
2.4 Athens and the Classical Period 31
 
2.5 Conclusion 35
 
Questions for Review 35
 
Reference 35
 
Further Reading 36
 
3 The Greek Family and Household 37
 
3.1 Oikos: Family and Household 38
 
3.2 Greek Domestic Space 39
 
3.3 Textile Production: Women's Work 42
 
3.4 Growing Up Female in the Greek Family 47
 
3.5 The Ritual Activities of Girls 51
 
3.6 The Family in Ancient Sparta 53
 
3.7 Conclusion 54
 
Questions for Review 54
 
Reference 54
 
Further Reading 54
 
4 Female Adolescence in Greece 57
 
4.1 Medical Views of Female Adolescence 58
 
4.2 Aidos: Protecting Purity 59
 
4.3 Nausicaa: A Teenage Girl in a Heroic World 61
 
4.4 Choruses of Young Girls 61
 
4.5 Brides of Death 66
 
4.6 The Greek Wedding 69
 
4.7 Conclusion 73
 
Questions for Review 74
 
Further Reading 74
 
5 Greek Marriage and Motherhood 77
 
5.1 Pandora: The Ambiguity of Wives 77
 
5.2 Aphrodite: The Power of Female Sexuality 79
 
5.3 Virtuous Wives: Penelope and Alcestis 83
 
5.4 How to Train a Wife 86
 
5.5 The Legal Status of Athenian Women 87
 
5.6 Pregnancy and Childbirth 89
 
5.7 Mothers and Children 94
 
5.8 Conclusion 96
 
Questions for Review 96
 
Further Reading 97
 
6 Adultery and Prostitution in Greece 99
 
6.1 Eros Unbound 99
 
6.2 Helen: Archetype of Adultery 100
 
6.3 Adultery and Athenian Law 101
 
6.4 Desperate Housewives 104
 
6.5 Courtesans and Prostitutes 107
 
6.6 Conclusion 113
 
Questions for Review 113
 
Further Reading 113
 
7 Women, Religion, and Authority in Greece 115
 
7.1 Older Women 115
 
7.2 Women as Ritual Agents 118
 
7.3 Priestesses 118
 
7.4 Women-Only Religious Festivals 121
 
7.5 Women and Funerary Ritual 124
 
7.6 Conclusion 128
 
Questions for Review 129
 
Further Reading 129
 
Interlude: Women in the Hellenistic World 131
 
8 Women in the Hellenistic World 133
 
8.1 The Rise of Macedon and Alexander the Great 135
 
8.2 Olympias: Mother of Alexander 136
 
8.3 The Spread of Hellenism 137
 
8.4 Women and Hellenistic Literature 138
 
8.5 Aphrodite and the Female Nude 141
 
8.6 Traces of Women in Hellenistic Egypt 143
 
8.7 Ptolemaic Queens: Arsinoe II 144
 
8.8 Ptolemaic Queens: Berenice II 146
 
8.9 Conclusion 149
 
Questions for Review 150
 
Reference 150<

About the author

Laura K. McClure, PhD, is Professor of Classics in the Department of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies in the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her diverse research interests include Athenian drama, the study of women in the ancient world, and classical reception. Her publications include books on the representation of women in Athenian drama and the courtesan in the Greek literary tradition.

Summary

An introduction to women and gender in the classical world that draws on the most recent research in the field

Women in Classical Antiquity focuses on the important objects, events and concepts that combine to form a clear understanding of ancient Greek and Roman women and gender. Drawing on the most recent findings and research on the topic, the book offers an overview of the historical events, values, and institutions that are critical for appreciating and comparing the life situations of women across both cultures.

The author examines the lifecycle of women in ancient Greek and Rome beginning with how young females acquired the gendered characteristics necessary for adulthood. The text explores female adolescence, including concerns about virginity, medical views of the female body, religious roles, and education. Views of marriage, motherhood, sexual activity, adultery, and prostitution are also examined. In addition, the author explores how women exercised authority and the possibilities for their civic engagement. This important resource:
* Explores the formation of classical women's social identity through the life stages of birth, adolescence, marriage, childbirth, old age, and death
* Contains information on the most recent research in this rapidly evolving field
* Offers a review of the life course as a way to understand the social processes by which Greek and Roman females acquired gender traits
* Includes questions for review, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of key terms

Written for academics and students of classical antiquity, Women in Classical Antiquity offers a general introduction to women and gender in the classical world.

Product details

• Authors: MCCLURE, Laura K McClure, Laura K. McClure, Laura K. (University of Wisconsin-Madison Mcclure, Lk Mcclure, McClure Laura K.
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.08.2019
• EAN: 9781118413517
• ISBN: 978-1-118-41351-7
• No. of pages: 320
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Social sciences, law, business > Political science; Frau, Antike, Klassisches Altertum, ancient culture, Classical Studies, Humanistische Studien, Ancient & Classical History, Antike u. klassische Geschichte, Allg. Humanistische Studien