What do you think?
Rate this book
Agora Picture Books
Women in the Athenian Agora
Using evidence from the Athenian Agora, the authors show how objects discovered during excavations provide a vivid picture of women’s lives. The book is structured according to the social roles women played; as owners of property, companions (in and outside of marriage), participants in ritual, craftspeople, producers, and consumers. A final section moves from the ancient world to the modern, discussing the role of women as archaeologists in the early years of the Agora excavations.
56 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2006
22 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 25, 2023
Spændende
February 20, 2022
Found this book while on a deep Internet scroll one listless afternoon. I don’t think I even read a synopsis of it before finding it.
One night after scaring myself senseless with a gruesome set of stories, I needed something to help me sleep. I had previously been putting myself to sleep by reading a dictionary of clichés in alphabetical order, but that didn’t seem strong enough. I took melatonin and still felt restless and suspicious of every nighttime noise. So I browsed through my e-reader and skipped through all the literary fiction, which could keep me up due to excitement. I settled on this because its title made me realize that I don’t know anything about Athenian women. There’s a book specifically about Athenian women in the agora. I must know less than I thought I knew. I found it in e-book format and couldn’t judge by the book’s thickness or weight its length. Most of the books in my collection are like that. Turns out that's the perfect length for a sleepless, spooked night. I finished it and fell asleep peacefully.
As I mentioned, I used the book when melatonin failed me. It’s not a boring book, though. It's only very mild. I'm sure there's a more lurid collection of facts about Greek women out there, but this one is tame. It’s very readable and has just enough detail to satisfy a mild curiosity. It’s a great sort of book for someone who is tired of the poor writing and questionable sources on Wikipedia. Now I know lots of basic things about Athenian women. The book ends with a section of biographies about the notable female researchers/field archaeologists whose work brought this knowledge to light. I went to sleep feeling warm and fuzzy and aware that Greek women made offerings of the painted pottery which contained their cosmetics and toiletries. When the researchers found them, they were but smashed shards, but I wonder if women at all smashed these offers up as they gave them? Probably not, right?
One night after scaring myself senseless with a gruesome set of stories, I needed something to help me sleep. I had previously been putting myself to sleep by reading a dictionary of clichés in alphabetical order, but that didn’t seem strong enough. I took melatonin and still felt restless and suspicious of every nighttime noise. So I browsed through my e-reader and skipped through all the literary fiction, which could keep me up due to excitement. I settled on this because its title made me realize that I don’t know anything about Athenian women. There’s a book specifically about Athenian women in the agora. I must know less than I thought I knew. I found it in e-book format and couldn’t judge by the book’s thickness or weight its length. Most of the books in my collection are like that. Turns out that's the perfect length for a sleepless, spooked night. I finished it and fell asleep peacefully.
As I mentioned, I used the book when melatonin failed me. It’s not a boring book, though. It's only very mild. I'm sure there's a more lurid collection of facts about Greek women out there, but this one is tame. It’s very readable and has just enough detail to satisfy a mild curiosity. It’s a great sort of book for someone who is tired of the poor writing and questionable sources on Wikipedia. Now I know lots of basic things about Athenian women. The book ends with a section of biographies about the notable female researchers/field archaeologists whose work brought this knowledge to light. I went to sleep feeling warm and fuzzy and aware that Greek women made offerings of the painted pottery which contained their cosmetics and toiletries. When the researchers found them, they were but smashed shards, but I wonder if women at all smashed these offers up as they gave them? Probably not, right?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews