Rape in Antiquity: Sexual Violence in the Greek and Roman Worlds

This collection of 12 original essays provides an overview of how Greeks and Romans perceived the phenomenon of rape. Using the numerous references to rape in Greek legal speeches, comedy, tragedy, visual art and myth, the authors assess the degree of seriousness with which rape was taken and who was seen as its main victims. They also consider whether the numerous Greek and Roman myths that involve rape reflect real-life behaviour and attitudes. Modern readers, used to a discourse which focuses on the question of woman's (or man's) consent to sexual activity, and which treats an unwilling partner as a sympathetic victim, may find in ancient attitudes much that is disturbing. The book should be of interest to students of women's history, ancient history and classical myth. The contributors are: Karim Arafat, James Arieti, Lucy Byrne, Susan Deacy, Thomas Harrison, Keith Hopwood, Martin Kilmer, Daniel Ogden, Rosanna Omitowoju, Karen F. Pierce, James Robson and Corinne Saunders.