It has been almost three decades since a new textbook on women in classical antiquity has appeared. Since then, much has changed in the field. New areas of inquiry, new discoveries, new critical approaches, new technologies, and new research have radically modified and expanded what we know about the lives of women in the ancient world and how we understand their representation. This book is an attempt not only to communicate these advances to a general audience but also to convey just how rapidly and dynamically our view of the classical past is evolving. At the same time, it must be acknowledged at the outset that it is impossible to do justice to this escalating body of scholarship and the countless primary sources, many fragmentary or obscure, on which they rely in just one book. Instead, in what follows, I aim to isolate key texts and objects, events and concepts that best represent important ancient Greek and Roman perspectives on women and gender. What makes this book unique, however, is its focus on the life course. This approach not only helps to organize a complex body of evidence by means of an overarching narrative, it also shows how the source materials tend to engage with women and gender at moments critical to formulating social identity, such as birth, adolescence, marriage, childbirth, and death.

Throughout I have tried to strike a balance between a chronological and topical methodology. The book begins with the assumption that readers are unfamiliar with ancient Greek and Roman history and cultural institutions. To provide this necessary context, the book is divided into three chronological periods: Part I: Greece; Interlude: The Hellenistic World; and Part II: Rome. Each part begins with a brief overview of historical events, values, and institutions critical for understanding male identity to lay the foundation for the consideration of women and gender in subsequent chapters. The introduction to ancient Greece examines the rise of the polis during the archaic period and then considers the events and ideas that shaped classical Athens and masculine ideals of heroism, citizenship, and self‐control. The Roman chapter explores the foundation of the Republic, the expansion of Roman power throughout the Italian peninsula and beyond, the collapse of the Republic and the foundation of the Empire. It further examines how the Romans constructed male identity around notions of military courage, political ambition, and family lineage. Although the book attempts to integrate material and visual elements in the form of painting, sculpture, architecture, numismatics and inscriptions, the primary focus remains throughout on literary representations of women and gender.

Because the life cycle begins with birth, Chapters 3 and 10 explore the incorporation of the female infant into the family and household and the ways she acquired the gendered characteristics necessary for adulthood. Chapters 4 and 11 examine female adolescence, including concerns about virginity, medical views of the female body, religious roles, and education, culminating with reconstructions of the wedding ceremony. Ancient views of marriage and motherhood, as exemplified by virtuous wives, form the subject of Chapters 5 and 12. Deviations from this norm, typically expressed by female sexual activity outside of marriage in the form of adultery and prostitution, are considered in Chapters 6 and 13. The last chapter of each section examines evidence for women as figures of authority and the possibilities for female civic engagement, whether in the form of religious activity, as in Greece, or as benefactors and businesswomen in the Roman world. This structure has the advantage of allowing students to easily compare the situation of women across both cultures.

Each chapter begins by isolating a fundamental aspect of the life stage to be examined through the introduction of the deity who governs it, as with Greece, or through an exemplary female, as with Rome. Given divergences in source materials and cultural practices, corresponding Greek and Roman chapters do not always contain the same topics. For example, Chapter 10 discusses the education of Roman girls whereas Chapter 3 does not, because we do not have any reliable evidence of this practice among the Greeks. Boxes introduce students to methodological discussions, such as the types of evidence important for the study of women in classical antiquity, including Athenian vases and Roman wall painting. Others cover cultural institutions, such as the Greek theater or the Roman baths, and topics central to female life, including cosmetics, hairdressing, and dolls. Questions for review and reflection are given at the end of each chapter, along with a list of suggestions for further readings, both primary and secondary. The latter consists of a small selection of recent scholarly books and online resources accessible to students and useful for conducting undergraduate research. Many of these works have been indispensable to framing the discussion within their respective chapters. Pedagogical features such as timelines, maps, and charts are provided at the front of this book to help students navigate the ancient evidence and historical periods. Greek or Latin words introduced in each chapter appear in bold type and are also collected in a full glossary at the back of the book. Translations of the Greek and Latin text have been adapted from the Loeb Classical Library series.

The book has been designed for maximum flexibility in the classroom. It can be used alone as a general introduction to women and gender in the classical world, in support of a course on women in ancient art or similar topic, or in conjunction with a selection of primary sources. Individual chapters can also be used separately. For instance, those on the organization of the family and household might provide a useful introduction to a course on women in Greek or Roman literature in translation.

A great many people contributed to this book over the course of several years. I am grateful first to the Blackwell editorial team, and in particular, Haze Humbert, for encouraging this project at all stages. Anonymous referees read and commented on the manuscript over several stages. All of their suggestions for revision and expansion have been invaluable to shaping my progress on this book. At the University of Wisconsin, I am fortunate to be able to teach and work in a supportive and collegial environment. Thanks are owed to former chair Jeff Beneker for his steadfast encouragement and recognition of the research aspect of this project. My Latinist colleagues, Nandini Pandey, Grant Nelsestuen, and Alex Dressler, patiently endured my hallway conversations about all things Roman, answering questions, providing bibliography, and reading chapters. Credit is owed to Alex for the idea of using exemplarity to structure the Roman chapters. Lively conversations with Claire Taylor have helped me think about forms of women’s empowerment in classical Athens, particularly how they participated in social networks. Archeology colleagues Nicholas Cahill, William Aylward, and Mark Stansbury‐O’Donnell have been immensely generous with their knowledge of material culture and assistance with images. Beyond UW, conversations with Lin Foxhall, Kathryn Gutzwiller, Sharon James, Allison Keith, Andromache Karanika, Esther Eidinow, Lisa Maurizio, Melissa Mueller, Nancy Sultan, Angeliki Tzanetou, and Lisl Walsh have been a great source of knowledge, inspiration, and support. Many thanks to Machi, in particular, for organizing a Classical Association of the Middle West and South presidential panel, “Constructions of Girlhood in Greco‐Roman Antiquity,” in 2018, which grew directly out of research for this book. Graduate assistants, Amy Hendricks and Rebecca Moorman, combed the manuscript for errors and omissions during the revision and proofreading stages. Lastly, special thanks to Sandra Kerka for her expert help with copyediting.

The abbreviations used here are mostly those used in the third edition of the Oxford Classical Dictionary.

This timeline is a very abbreviated overview intended to provide a historical context for the material in this book. Dates are often approximate, particularly for the Greek period, and follow established opinions. Only frequently mentioned authors have been included. Not all Roman emperors are listed.