_Goddess, Whores, Wives and Slaves_ was originally written because, in Pomeroy's words, "most of the standard references in the field of Classics did not include women in their purview.... major works ... (had) splendidly detailed indexes, but (none of them had) an entry for 'Women.'" It is precisely because of works such as this - and the efforts of professors like Pomeroy, this is no longer the case. The discipline of history and its students are richer and better for it.
In examining the role of women in ancient Greece and Rome, the historian faces a number of challenges, not the least being the relative lack of primary work by women, but also the relative dearth of women as the subject of classical authors. As a result, much must be inferred (albeit historically and textually supported) from what works we have. Pomeroy does a magnificent job of examining the roles, social mores and attitudes of ancient Greeks and Romans from a wide variety of sources: myths, art, literature and polemical tracts.
Pomeroy begins her study by closely considering the way in which female deities were portrayed in Greek myths. This fascinated me. For example, I had never thought of the creation story of Athena as significant or telling in terms of gender. That Athena was born out of Zeus' head (without any participation of woman), that she is the most "masculine" of female dieties (as goddess of both wisdom and warfare), and also the most prominent female deity in ancient Greece - perhaps as a result of all this - got me to see and think about issues of gender in the ancient world in a new and different way.
Similarly, the role and place of women as reinforced through literature was explored, from the portrayal of Helen in
The Iliad (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
and Penelope in
The Odyssey (Penguin Classics Deluxe Editio)
, to Socrates' banishment of Xanthippe at his execution, and Plato's consideration of women in
The Republic
.
Her analysis of role of hetairia, often seen as the most "liberated" of ancient Greek women, (
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho
) also caused me to reconsider their place for, as Pomeroy put it, "The hetaira had access to the intellectual life of Athens, which we nowadays treasure ... but the fact that we know of some courtesans who attempted to live as respectable wives, while we know of no citizen wives who wished to be courtesans should make us reconsider the question of which was the preferrable role in Classical Athens."
Turning her attention to women in Rome, Pomeroy spends a great deal of time examining women of the upper classes (the sisters and wives of Emperors in particualr) - primarily because of the wealth of information about them
The Satyricon and The Apocolocyntosis of the Divine Claudius (Penguin Classics)
,
Cicero: Ancient Classics for English Readers
,
The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)
); this was of less interest to me than her discussion of women of the lower classes, but it was fascinating nonetheless. The only point I could take issue with was that I wish she had explored the role of women in the early Church in her chapter on "Women in the Religion of the Romans." Where the Classical period ends and the early middle ages begins, however, is grey, so I cannot fault her for that.
Given that women are half of the population, it has long been a disservice that their role and place in history has not been explored, taught and celebrated to the extent that it should be. Pomeroy's book is one of the seminal works that has reversed this trend (as any cursory look in the index of a history text under "women" will show). It is tremendous scholarship, well written. For any student of history, I would recommend it. For those studying the Classics, this is a "must have" text.
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Naira
Ótima leitura
Reviewed in Brazil on March 22, 2024
Naira
Reviewed in Brazil on March 22, 2024
Para minha surpresa, ao receber o livro, ele veio dentro de um único saco da Amazon com outros produtos que comprei. Danificou a capa do fim do livro, manchou as páginas em cima e dos lados. Estou extremamente chateada, poderiam tê-lo embalado por se tratar de um livro, ainda mais pela capa ser de papel (um papel bem grossinho). Cuido tão bem dos meus livros, que tenho alguns há mais de 10 anos, mas não parece de tão bem cuidado que é.
Sério, meteram todos os produtos num saco sem nem embalá-los individualmente para proteção. 😡
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Amazon Customer
A classic in the subject area
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2023
Satisfied Purchaser
Could be the best in the field about women's lives in classical antiquity
Reviewed in Canada on February 23, 2016
Gretel
Excellent, well written, entertaining and informative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2010