Pomeroy Sarah. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity

Schocken, 1995. — 304 p.What did women do in ancient Greece and Rome? Did Socrates' wife Xanthippe ever hear his dialogues on beauty and truth? How many many women actually read the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides? When pagan goddesses were as powerful as gods, why was the status of women generally so low? Why, in traditional histories, is half the population effectively invisible? This unique and important book spans a period of 1500 years - from the fall of Troy to the death of Constantine. It examines all the available evidence - literary and archaeological - and reconstructs the lives of women from all classes of society.Sarah Pomeroy is an American ancient historian, author, translator, and former professor of classics. She is best known for her work on women's history in classical antiquity, and has written over ten books.