Publisher's Synopsis
An extensive and fascinating collection of stories featuring both famous and everyday women, giving a well-rounded view of the lives of women in the ancient world.
When did women first become rulers, athletes, soldiers, heroines, and villains? They always were, observes historian Judith Salisbury. From Mesopotamian priestesses and poets to Egyptian queens and consorts, "there was never a time when women did not participate in all aspects of society."
Salisbury tells the stories of 150 women from the ancient world, ranging from the very famous, such as Cleopatra VII, immortalized by Hollywood, to the barely remembered, such as the Roman poet Nossis. Writing for a general audience, Salisbury begins by painting each woman into her historical context, then recounts each woman's story, describing the choices she made as she looked for happiness, wealth, power, or well-being for herself and her family-stories much like our own. In entries on general themes-clothing, cosmetics, work, sexuality, prostitution, gynecology-Salisbury analyzes the commonalties in the lives of these women of antiquity from a cross-cultural perspective.
- Entries including women from myth, religion, and legend including Eve, Aphrodite, the earth goddess Gaea, Helen of Troy, and Isis
- Entries arranged by categories such as Greece, Rome, Christian, and Northern Europe for ease of research
- Many rare and revealing images including a procession of virgin martyrs, ca. A.D. 560
- Photographs of ancient sculptures including a Minoan snake goddess, ca. 1600 B.C.; numerous maps of ancient Greece and Mesopotamia; and a depiction of the Hellenistic monarchies
- Genealogical charts of the Herodian family, the family of Augustus, and the Julio-Claudian house
