AP/HIST 3160 6.00
Women And Gender In Ancient Greece And Rome
This course challenges the traditional dichotomy of women’s and great man history by addressing questions of gender roles and their social functions in Greek and Roman society. Surviving evidence from the ancient world is primarily literature written by men of the upper strata of society. A major focus of this course will be to determine what these texts can tell us: are they idealizing, normative, realistic, or a mixture? What can we learn about societal roles and expectations of both men, women, and those who cross the line in antiquity? Topics run the gamut from the recent re-interpretation of Neolithic “Venus” figurines to the Passion of Perpetua. Material is taken up chronologically and includes written evidence (both documentary and literary), archaeological finds (such as votive offerings, tomb reliefs, and vase paintings), and modern gender theory. In this way, we can examine the way that women and men represented themselves and each other in both public and private modes.