Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity

_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.

This made such an impression on me back in college that I bought a second copy for a friend 20 years later. Excellent scholarship and writing.

As much as I might of liked a revised and updated edition, I'm glad other authors were left to deal with that and we get to read the scholarship when it was groundbreaking and therefore still free of the constraints later authors must labor with.

I am not a scholar, but an amateur, who started out with an interest in learning more about life in Ancient Greece. This interest led me to discover that most books on the period barely mention women. In some, the word "women" doesn't even appear in the index. Frustration with that led me to this book, which is by far the best on the subject. Pomeroy's research is excellent, and so is her writing. Intelligence comes through in every sentence. The book is exciting, a pleasure to read, and I'm learning so much. I have a hard time finding a sentence that I DON'T want to underline.Anyone interested in the period must read this book.

Chronological description how how Western women got where they are now. Interesting to see how in some matters they were more liberated.

This unique and relevant book is a must read for anyone who is interested in women issues. Although Pomeroy writes about women's life in ancient Greece the picture she presents is strikingly relevant for our own times. You will be surprised to know that women in ancient Greece, the place considered by many as the corner stone of Western civiliaztion, didn't fare much better than their sisters in today's Saudi-Arabia: they couldn't vote, couldn't go out of their houses without an escort, were not permitted any education, and couldn't participate in community political life AT ALL. Pomeroy's data is detailed and specific - rare to find in (the few)studies done on this subject. Her lucid style and very balance presentation of the material makes this book a jem.

The saucy title is certainly enough to lure readers who might not otherwise be interested in the topic to give this book a look. The content, like all of Pomeroy's other writing, is enough to keep them engaged. Pomeroy has the gift of being a scholar that can write for arm chair history professors. It is engaging and interesting. It's the book on women in the ancient world that I have been wanting to read for a long time.

The book really does go into much detail on women of all levels of society. I was most interested in the lower classes. I'm more used to historical novels than this factual treatment but Sarah manages to keep it from drying out. I note the age of the first publication and realize she was ahead of her time back then.

I'm enjoying reading the stories, there are some funny customs and events in the book that made me giggle. Obviously as women have been in the house most of the time, the info can be scarce but Sarah has done a great job here. I do find myself skipping sections like the burial rites, but I have enjoyed the chapters on the gods relationships with mortal women.

A classic, but still completely relevant. Rigorous yet readable. Of interest far beyond the discipline of Classics.

Thoroughly enjoyed it

Printing error on pages 13-17. Contain pages from a completely different book, and a piece of fiction.

As described