Summary

Praise for the previous edition:
"This is an excellent work, providing not only information about the lives of individual women but broad insight into the circumstances surrounding those lives. Much of the information it contains is unique and not included in other reference sources on the Greek and Roman world. Recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries."—Booklist

"...a very useful resource...recommended for all libraries."—Choice

Providing a vibrant new perspective on women in the classical world, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, Revised Edition includes more than 500 fascinating life stories ranging from pagan Greece in the seventh century BCE to the rise of Christianity in the fourth century CE. Included in this accessible and user-friendly dictionary are tales from all corners of the Greek and Roman worlds—from Britain and Egypt to Syria and Mauritania. The authors of this invaluable reference guide have created multidimensional and intriguing biographies of women from all walks of life—poets and poisoners, wives and mistresses, businesswomen and slaves, rulers and victims—all noted for their accomplishments as well as their family ties.

This new edition includes approximately 100 new biographies, a revised introduction, an expanded bibliography, updated further readings, an index, and new photographs and maps. New entries highlight biographies of women throughout the Mediterranean who participated in the violent formative years of Christianity during the fourth and fifth centuries. In addition, biographies of women memorialized in inscriptions and recorded on papyri have been added to those appearing in the literary sources, both in the earlier and later centuries.

Profiles include:

• Cleopatra VII: the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt
• Aelia Eudoxia: Augusta of Constantinople
• Hypatia: Greek philosopher who taught in Alexandria, Egypt
• Julia: Roman power broker
• Helena Flavia Julia: Augusta and mother of Constantine the Great
• Macrina the Younger: Roman religious leader of Pontus
• Martina: a Syrian poisoner who lived in Syria and Italy
• Melania the Elder: Roman ascetic who established a monastery near Jerusalem
• Claudia Octavia: a faultless Roman wife; banished
• Olympias I: Greek ruler and mother of Alexander the Great
• Vibia Perpetua: Roman martyr who lived in Carthage, North Africa
• Sappho: Greek poet who lived in Lesbos and Sicily
• Xanthippe: wife of Socrates who lived in Athens.

Specifications

Black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Index. Registry. Bibliography. Glossary. Cross-references. Further reading lists.

About the Author(s)

Marjorie Lightman holds a Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University. She has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has led international projects in human rights and women’s rights.

Benjamin Lightman holds graduate degrees in history and library science from Columbia University. He served as the head of the library of Time Inc. and has been a leader in the field of special libraries.