Women in Athenian Law and Life

This book provides a comprehensive account of the Athenians' conception of women during the classical period of the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Though nothing remains that represents the authentic voice of the women themselves, there is a wealth of evidence showing how men sought to define women. By working through a range of material, from the provisions of Athenian law through to the representations of tragedy and comedy, the author builds up, in the manner of an anthropological ethnography, a coherent and integrated picture of the Athenians' notion of `woman'.

Preface and acknowledgements, 1 INTRODUCTION: THE 'PROBLEM' OF WOMEN, 2 POLITICS, 3 LEGAL CAPABILITIES, 4 MARRIAGE AND THE STATE, 5 FAMILY AND PROPERTY, 6 FREEDOM AND SECLUSION, 7 PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, 8 THE ATTRIBUTES OF GENDER, 9 THE ENEMY WITHIN, 10 THE SAVAGE WITHOUT, Notes, Bibliography, Index of passages quoted, General index