Revisiting Rape in Antiquity: Sexualised Violence in Greek and Roman Worlds

Rape in Antiquity: Sexual Violence in the Greek and Roman Worlds (1997) explored how the Greeks and Romans perceived rape and how seriously it was taken, and who were seen as its main victims. It made an invaluable contribution to the scholarship on sexual violence in the ancient world, impacting the development of new approaches in the decades that followed. Revisiting Rape in Antiquity: Sexualised Violence in Greek and Roman Worlds maps out the influence of Rape in Antiquity and explores how far cultural changes since the 1990s have reshaped the scholarly landscape.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 29 June 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Rape in Antiquity: Sexual Violence in the Greek and Roman Worlds, a 1997 edited volume by Susan Deacy and Karen F. Pierce, sought to answer two central questions: how did the Greeks and Romans perceive rape, and how seriously was it taken? The book aimed to explore various angles, including legal, social, cultural, and historiographical, to understand if the ancients had a concept of rape and how it was understood.

Rape in Antiquity made a significant contribution to the scholarship on sexual violence in the ancient world. It influenced the development of new approaches in the decades following its publication. Revisiting Rape in Antiquity: Sexualised Violence in Greek and Roman Worlds explores the influence of Rape in Antiquity while examining how cultural changes since the 1990s have reshaped the scholarly landscape.

This collection, comprising chapters by established scholars and early career researchers from many countries, provides a new window into sexual and sexualized violence. Spanning a long chronology, the book covers topics such as Homer, Byzantium, modern receptions, wartime rape, ancient Greek tragedy, classical myth, how rape stories are retold for children, ancient law and rhetoric, classical art, Ovid, Late Antiquity, modern literature, comic books, and cinema.

Rape in Antiquity is the culmination of a rich scholarly inheritance, offering new perspectives that will likely inspire researchers for decades to come. Its comprehensive coverage and interdisciplinary approach make it a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in the study of sexual violence in the ancient world.

Weight: 475g
Dimension: 244 x 169 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350099203