Women In Ancient Rome

This sourcebook includes a rich and accessible selection of Roman original sources in translation ranging from the Regal Period through Republican and Imperial Rome to the late Empire and the coming of Christianity. From Roman goddesses to mortal women, imperial women to slaves and prostitutes, the volume brings new perspectives to the study of Roman women's lives. Literary sources comprise works by Livy, Catullus, Ovid, Juvenal and many others. Suggestions for further reading, a general bibliography, and an index of ancient authors and works are also included. Review: By superbly selecting, arranging, translating and contextualizing a wide array of literary and inscriptional sources, Bonnie MacLachlan has made a peerless contribution to the study and teaching of women's images and lived realities in ancient Rome. This magnum opus-with its testimony about women of all ages and social classes, from legendary times to late antiquity, and all corners of the Roman empire -deserves, in the words of the ancient Romans, ourmaximae gratulationes. -- Judith P. Hallett, University of Maryland, College Park, USA An introduction to Roman women well tailored for the beginner. Bonnie MacLachlan has chosen excerpts from landmark texts and integrated them, along with representative inscriptions, into a lucid narrative history of Rome, with new translations and basic bibliography. -- Amy Richlin, Professor of Classics, University of California, USA The book has a nice blend of chronological structure and thematic groupings to help both the instructor and student make useful connections between the selected texts both within and across time periods. ... It offers a wide-ranging and thoughtful selection of different source materials, which would enable fruitful discussions about what the reality of daily life for women may have been and the challenges of reconstructing such a picture along with the complexities of interpreting their literary representations. -- Danielle M. La Londe, Centre College Classical Journal