“While perhaps few readers will work through the volume as a whole, nearly all classicists will find some points of intersection with their own sub-fields. The discourses of sex in the ancient world are not confined to love poetry and erotic vase paintings, but pervade almost every aspect of life, if one knows what to look for.” (Phoenix, 1 June 2015)
“This volume will be of use to many scholars and teachers across a variety of fields . . . Overall, this is a useful volume with much to recommend it to anyone who needs a solid introduction to any aspect of sexuality in ancient Greece or Rome.” (Religious Studies Review, 4 June 2015)
“Companion to Greek and Roman Sexualitiesprovides a thought-provoking overview of an important subject area, it is a fascinating collection of chapters offering a tantalizing taste of a scholarship that is ripe for debate and will continue to encourage scholars to develop their research methods, bringing the cultures of Greece and Rome together for comparison and criticism and dissection and discussion.” (Reference Reviews, 1 December 2014
“Thanks to its wide scope, the collection of papers is guaranteed to appeal to beginners in the field of ancient sexuality as well as to specialists, who will find many details which are new to them. The Companion should also prove useful in teaching courses on issues of ancient sex and sexuality, since it assembles up-to-date, authoritative, well-written treatments of key aspects by noted experts. Its particular value lies in the diversity of the evidence presented and the breadth of the questions asked of the sources.” (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, September 2014)
Over the past quarter century, the study of Greco-Roman sexualities has become an important sub-discipline within classical studies, forming a fundamental component of the emerging fields of historical sexology and cultural studies. A Companion to Greek and Roman Sexualities presents a comprehensive collection of original essays relating to aspects of gender and sexuality in the classical world. Featuring contributions from more than 40 top international scholars, readings synthesize current work in the field while pointing to promising new directions for future scholarship.
Not restricted by narrow modern categories of sexuality, this collection offers a systematic and holistic view of various practices and discursive contexts of sexuality of the ancient world. Rather than treating Greece and Rome separately, each chapter covers both cultures with sensitivity to the continuities and differences between the two classical civilizations. Some chapters examine evidence through the lens of literary and artistic genres, evaluating each in terms of its own unique conventions. Other chapters address various social environments of sexual conduct (athletics, cult, the military, the banquet), and technical disciplines such as medicine, biology, magic, physiognomy, and dream interpretation. Drawing from a broad spectrum of theoretical perspectives, A Companion to Greek and Roman Sexualities expands and offers insights into our current understanding of sexuality and gender roles in the classical period, as well as their influence on more modern understandings of sexuality.
From the Back Cover
Over the past quarter century, the study of Greco-Roman sexualities has become an important sub-discipline within classical studies, forming a fundamental component of the emerging fields of historical sexology and cultural studies. A Companion to Greek and Roman Sexualities presents a comprehensive collection of original essays relating to aspects of gender and sexuality in the classical world. Featuring contributions from more than 40 top international scholars, readings synthesize current work in the field while pointing to promising new directions for future scholarship.
Not restricted by narrow modern categories of sexuality, this collection offers a systematic and holistic view of various practices and discursive contexts of sexuality of the ancient world. Rather than treating Greece and Rome separately, each chapter covers both cultures with sensitivity to the continuities and differences between the two classical civilizations. Some chapters examine evidence through the lens of literary and artistic genres, evaluating each in terms of its own unique conventions. Other chapters address various social environments of sexual conduct (athletics, cult, the military, the banquet), and technical disciplines such as medicine, biology, magic, physiognomy, and dream interpretation. Drawing from a broad spectrum of theoretical perspectives, A Companion to Greek and Roman Sexualities expands and offers insights into our current understanding of sexuality and gender roles in the classical period, as well as their influence on more modern understandings of sexuality.
About the Author
Thomas K. Hubbard is Professor of Classics and holder of the Mary Helen Thompson Centennial Professorship in the Humanities at the University of Texas, Austin. He is the editor of Greek Love Reconsidered (2000) and Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook of Basic Documents (2003), and the author of numerous articles on ancient sexuality.
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