Athena's Sisters : Reclaiming the Women of Classical Athens HC

Athenas Sisters transforms our understanding of Classical Athenian culture and society by approaching its institutions—kinship, slavery, the economy, social organisation—from womens perspectives. It argues that texts on dedications and tombstones set up by women were frequently authored by those women. This significant body of womens writing offers direct insights into their experiences, values, and emotions. With men often absent, women redefined the boundaries of the family in dialogue with patriarchal legal frameworks. Beyond male social and political structures, women defined their identities and relationships through their own institutions. By focusing on womens engagement with other women, rather than their relationships to men, this timely and necessary book reveals the richness and dynamism of womens lives and their remarkable capacity to shape Athenian society and history.