Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves (Paperback)

by Sarah B. Pomeroy (Author) "CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY provides the earlist glimpse of male-female relationships in Greek civilization..." (more)
Key Phrases: imperial women, sepulchral inscriptions, freeborn men, Bronze Age, Classical Athens, Dark Age (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
What did women do in Ancient Greece and Rome? Did Socrates' wife Xanthippe ever hear his dialogues on beauty and truth? How many women read the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides? When pagan goddesses were as powerful as gods, why was the status of women so low? Why, in traditional histories, is half the population effectively invisible? This book spans a period of 1500 years - from the fall of Troy to the death of Constantine. It examines the evidence - literary and archaeological - and reconstructs the lives of women from all classes of society. Sarah B. Pomeroy is the author of "Women in Hellenistic Egypt from Alexander to Cleopatra", "Women's Realities, Women's Choices: An Introduction to Women's Studies", "Women's History and Ancient History" and "Women in the Classical World: Image and Text". --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher
"The first general treatment of women in the ancient world to reflect the critical insights of modern feminism. Though much debated, its position as the basic textbook on women's history in Greece and Rome has hardly been challenged."--Mary Beard, Times Literary Supplement

"Pomeroy's pioneering study on the status and activities of women in antiquity was, and has remained, a milestone in classical historiography."--Peter Green, Univerity of Texas at Austin --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Schocken (January 13, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805205306
• ISBN-13: 978-0805205305
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #849,281 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive portrait., September 28, 2002

By	Luc REYNAERT (Beernem, Belgium) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity (Paperback)

Grim picture of the status of women in Greek and Roman society. A scientific exploration based on classical marriage contracts, legal and medical texts, demographic data (on female infanticide) and philosophical and literary works (Plato, Aristoteles, Homeros and others).
The status of Aspasia (Pericles' hetaera) was an exception. Women were confined to the domestic sphere, totally inferior to men and the subject of systematic misogyny by poets and philosophers.
The author also elucidates why the Isis cult was persecuted by emperor Tiberius.
This is a model study. A necessary work not to be missed by readers interested in classical history. It is a look at that section of ancient culture that didn't take part in philosophical discussions or political decision making, but that composed the majority on which the first democracy - for a minority - was built. Work by Catherine Salles and Bettina Eva Stumpp on the same subject is also a compelling read.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good information but some bad theories, July 14, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity (Paperback)

The author does provide good information on the status of women in the ancient world, but has some completely baseless theories. She tries to juxtapose the masculine Persian god Mithras with the feminine god Isis, claiming Isis was supressed and Mithras welcomed. The problem is, Mithrism, after Christianity and Judaism, was persecuted heaviest because it was though to indicate loyalty to Persia, Rome's enemy. Isis, on the other hand, after some early initial efforts to ban all foreign religions, was fully tolerated. It saw nothing like the persecution the other three religions saw. Also, she overstates Isis as a feminist figure. Most papyrus quotes from ancient Egypt have her worshiped as a traditional wife and mother goddess. All she has as proof of her contention that wasn't so is one Oxyrhyncus papyrus quote and a quote from the always unreliable Diodorus.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Overview, January 31, 2006

By	the beauty "the beauty" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity (Paperback)

I first read this book in highschool(Latin Class) back in 1985, and to this day, I still find it to be one of the best overviews on the lives of Classical Women ever. While there are some other good works out there, theya re few and far between, and many are not translated into English-which is a shame.

I realize that there may some material for scholars to pick at, but I do feel that the author has sourced her material well, and does offer alternative viewpoints, as well as mention when there are difficulties in proving certian theories. The fact that she is apparently a feminist as some sort of come down for the book doesn't hold water with me. The same could be said for many male historians, as the roles of women and their significance is often ignored.

The book does cover a very large time period-about 1500 years, but I feel does an excellent job in looking at the social, cultural, and legal expectations for women, and how those roles changed over time, and between societies. In some ways it is darker than imagined, and others far more hopeful, as demonstrated by some of her focus on the women of Pompeii, and the evidence of their wealth, independence, and individuality. Some of the more famous women are covered, and their activites placed into context.

Perosnally, if there was a book that belong in all Ancient Civ/Western Civ surveys or introductory classes, I beleiev unequivocally that this is one of them. I felt that way in highschool, and I feel that way today.