Classical Studies

Through the study of ancient texts in translation, this course focuses on the lives of women of all socioeconomic classes from the Roman Empire, including Egypt. We will be concerned with the varying degrees and types of power available to women as indicated by the art historical and literary records. Women played important roles in Roman society and figure prominently in Latin literature. However, most of this literature was produced by men, and we will consider how male authorship may influence the depiction of women. This course will try to convey a better idea of what life was like for a woman in Roman antiquity by looking not only at literary but also at technical and epigraphical sources. Along the way, we will study male Roman stereotypes of women and the conventions of several literary genres, which will allow us to interpret the sources within their generic and historical context instead of taking their data at face-value.

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