Ebook: The Athenian Woman: an Iconographic Handbook

Cover; Title; Copyright Page; Contents; List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Becoming visible; 2 Domestic labour; 3 Working women; 4 The women's room; 5 Women and men; Conclusion; Glossary; Abbreviations; Notes; Bibliography; Index.;Here Sian Lewis considers the full range of female existence in classical Greece - childhood and old age, unfree and foreign status, and the ageless woman characteristic of Athenian red-figure painting. Ceramics are an unparalleled resource for women's lives in ancient Greece, since they show a huge number of female types and activities. Yet it can be difficult to interpret the meanings of these images, especially when they seem to conflict with literary sources. This much-needed study shows that it is vital to see the vases as archaeology as well as art, since context is the ke.