The missing thread A women's history of the ancient world

Classicist Dunn (Not Far from Brideshead: Oxford between the Wars, 2022) delivers a fresh, detailed history of the ancient world that highlights the stories of women. "Classical historians privileged the deeds of men over the loom-work of their wives and daughters," she notes, "and modern historians have typically followed suit." Her purpose in writing this book was to correct that balance without "distorting the reality of events by pretending that men were not usually in charge." Re-examining art, literature, archaeological evidence, and the historical record, Dunn meticulously documents the lives of artisans, bakers, snake handlers, poets, warriors, and goddesses--both real and mythological. She does so while covering almost 3,000 years of history, beginning in Crete and traveling through much of the ancient world, with a focus on Greece and Rome. The result is an engaging and well-researched history that brings ancient women to life.

Ancient history through the lens of unheralded women of power. Drawing on literary and archaeological sources, classicist Dunn, author of The Shadow of Vesuvius, examines women's roles in the classical world, revealing their involvement in social, business, political, and religious life over a span of 3,000 years. From Minoan Crete to Nero's Rome, women were bakers and weavers, poets and artisans; some were financially independent business leaders, managing estates, workshops, and stock. Others solidified political alliances through marriages, led armies, and wielded weapons. Artemisia, for one, was "the sole female commander on either side of the Graeco-Persian wars." Women's reputations spread beyond borders: The women of Lesbos and Lydia were famously beautiful, with the exception, apparently, of the poet Sappho; Etruscan women were notoriously brazen and sexually daring. The strength and stature of Scythian women made them "real-life inspiration for the mythical Amazons." Dunn's deft sleuthing uncovers long-overlooked realities. For example, in Minoan artwork, the centrality of women's images has led some historians to describe Minoan society as matriarchal or matrilineal. Mycenaean women shown on clay tablets similarly attest to women's multiplicity of roles, while Mycenaean men "were sometimes described on tablets as being the offspring of women of particular crafts." Yet women were victims of rape, enslavement, and certainly of fierce patriarchy. Barred from Olympic Games--thrown off a cliff if they disobeyed--every four years they were allowed to compete in a women's footrace. Wars, rivalries, and invasions made women central to political alliances, and Dunn details their adept machinations as they moved boldly or plotted secretly. Besides familiar names, such as Cleopatra, Fulvia, and Lucretia, the author introduces scores more of prodigious prowess and influence: Gorgo of Sparta, Atossa, and poet Enheduanna, among many others. Her erudition is impressive, and her narrative is consistently animated. A sweeping history thrumming with energy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.