Women in Antiquity (Fall 2025)

Welcome to Week 9!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’re talking about Egypt, a very different place from the cultures we’ve explored so far.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. There’s a lot to discuss this week. Was Hatshepsut a fluke, or did she really represent something about women in Egypt? What do you think was most important in making Hatshepsut accepted as a ruler? Was her damnatio memoriae—her successor’s destruction of her legacy—about female inheritance, or was something else going on?

The articles give us a few more vantage points to talk about gender in Egypt. What do think we can say about how different things were for women in Egypt, and why?

Please note: Concerning the reading from Roehrig, there’s a “Note” button that gives some advice about approaching this book. It’s long, but it’s mostly pictures, and the tl;dr is: read the six articles, which are shorter than they seem, and skim the rest, which is mainly inventory. Look out for pictures that strike your imagination. What images of Hatshepsut stand out for you the most?

Looking forward to discussing this with you. See you Tuesday!

Welcome to Week 8!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’re talking about understanding gender in classical Athens through the mortal women presented in literature (as opposed to mythology), and toward that end we’re looking at two of the most potent female figures in all of Greek drama, Antigone and Medea. Both women are larger than life in very different ways. I really want to hear what you all thought while reading these plays.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. What is it that Antigone is fighting for, do you think? What is Medea fighting for? What are the conflicts in these two plays really about, do you think? What insight can we derive from the memorable endings? Do Antigone and Medea have anything in common? What did you react to while you were reading these plays?

The play Medea is particularly shocking because of what she does and how it ends. Given what Pomeroy talks about and all our previous discussions, what do you think Euripides was trying to say to his fellow Athenians by telling this story? Let me know what you think about all of this.

Looking forward to discussing this with all of you. See you on Tuesday!

Welcome to Week 7!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’re trying to take a closer look at the nonpublic side of gender in classical Athens.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. What role do you think the hetairai really played in Athenian society? Why do you think we focus on them when discussing Athens? What’s your sense of how the Athenians dealt with private sexual conflicts within and between families—what situations stand out to you?

We’re also looking this week at Bacchae, in which a group of women rip a man apart. Why is he, Pentheus, ripped apart in particular? What is this story showing us—empowerment? Retribution? Male pig-headedness (or lion-headedness)? The Bacchic craze was something the Greeks valued—what was its importance, do you think? Within the play, what do you think Dionysos was trying to accomplish? What do you think Euripides was trying to accomplish in telling this story?

We’ve also got a little scene from the Adonis Festival. Is this just a bit of frivolity involving women checking out hot guys (a bit of reversal in Greek literature, but not unheard-of—remember Nausicaa and the beauty-enhanced Odysseus); or is there something more to the telling of this story?

Looking forward to your discussions and reactions. See you Tuesday!

Images Essay grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for the Images Essay are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.

If you have any questions about the grades, comments, or deductions, please don’t hesitate to seek me out by email or in office hours.

Reversible deductions. Some of you may find that you received “reversible deductions” for issues relating to formatting and citations. The good news is, those are points that you can get back. Check the cover page of your markup to see if there are any check marks and points taken off next to the reversible deductions. If there are, I made notes on the cover sheet or in the essay about the issue, and included a handout with the requirements.

Please resubmit your essay to Brightspace with those problems fixed, and I’ll be in a position to reverse those deductions. Only reversible deductions can be reversed, so don’t resubmit for anything other than reversible deductions.

Missing essays. If you have not gotten your paper in, please do so as soon as you can. In terms of your course grade you’re better off with any grade, even with a lateness penalty, than a zero for the assignment. Remember also that the lateness penalty is capped at a maximum of 30 points, so turning your paper in, even very late, is better than not doing so.

No meeting this week

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Monday classes meet this Tuesday, so we have the week off. See you next week!

Reminder: The Proposal is due Monday, October 27

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Here are a few brief reminders about the proposal, which is due very soon on Monday, October 27.

I’m looking for: a problem that can be argued; your proposed thesis; and any other thoughts about what you might want to explore or how you think you might go about supporting your argument in the position paper itself. I’ll give feedback on topic viability, scope, and possible primary and secondary sources.

There is also a video on the course website (see the Essays page or the Videos page) that details exactly what I’m looking for. A sample is also posted on the proposal page. I’m happy to discuss possible ideas and approaches in office hours, after class, or by email.

Here’s what the syllabus has for the proposal assignment.

The assignment: The proposal is just a brief one-page preview of your position paper. It should include:

The topic you think you’ll want to write about and the problem you’re interested in addressing. You should be able to delineate the problem by describing the opposing views people might take. To make sure you have two clear opposing opinions, you might want to express them in the form “Some say… . Others say….”
Your preliminary thesis statement—in other words, what you think you might be arguing in your paper.

Your thesis statement, both here and in the final paper, should be a statement of opinion that someone could disagree with. It can take the form of following up the description of the opposing opinions with your own: “I believe….”
Remember that your thesis is provisional. You can change anything about your approach and interpretation after the proposal; in fact, uncovering information as you do your research makes refining or changing your initial assessments very likely.

Your proposal is structured like the introduction to your final paper, and may serve as the basis for it.

The proposal is not graded, but whether you submitted a proposal on time will be factored into the final grade for the position paper. I will give you feedback on things like the feasibility of researching your topic, whether the scope is too big or too narrow for a paper like this, and some possible sources you might want to look at.

Quiz #3 grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for Quiz #3 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.

I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.

Welcome to Week 6!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This week our main subject is to focus on women in classical Athens.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. This is a tough one, because the seclusion of women is a subject that draws a lot of emotional reaction and misunderstanding—and this is one of those topics where Pomeroy definitely has an axe to grind.

The articles come into play here, too, especially the Walker article, which deals with some of the facts on the ground about seclusion. Where is Pomeroy coming from when it comes to women in Athens? Given our past discussions, what helps bring about this situation? And is it as bad as it seems to us, or is there more going on than what everybody traditionally says about it?

Of particular importance this week: we’re also looking at Eumenides, part of the Oresteia trilogy by the tragedian Aeschylos. This is a great one for looking at gods and mortals and how they operate on their own planes. What do you think the play is saying about Orestes having killed his mom? How do the Furies come off, and how do they seem different from Apollo and Athena, who show up at the end? Why do you think the playwright has Athena say the things she does about her final decision? What do you think this play is really about?

Looking forward to discussing all this with you. See you Tuesday!

Welcome to Week 5!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’re talking about the period after the so-called Greek Dark Age, when from our perspective Hellas can be heard and seen again, with the foundations of Greek culture already laid down in the previous, unseen centuries.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. This is the time of the polis—the distinctive, kingless Greek city-state; of colonization, with Greek cities sending their people out into the Aegean, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean; and of the hoplite warrior. Also during this time: the rise of lyric poetry, a sharp contrast to the epic poetry of earlier times; and pan-Hellenism, the curious sense of commonality that grows among all these city-states with defiantly distinct and competitive identities.

Two writers emerge during this period that are characteristic of the shifting Greek culture. One is Hesiod, who speaks from the point of view of the small landed farmer—unlike Homer, whose perspective was from the top of society down. What does Hesiod have to tell us about what it meant to be Greek, and is it different from the key values present in Homer’s work? His issues with women we’ve already discussed in terms of his complex depiction of Pandora and his admiration of Hekate above other divinities, but here we see a discussion of women in terms of the priorities of a landed farmer. Is Hesiod’s attitude simple misogyny, or can we go deeper? How does his discussion of gender fit in with his broader arguments about what it means to be a good Greek citizen?

The other author is Sappho, the most famous of the lyric poets. What does her poetry tell us about how Hellas is changing from the days of epic poetry told by rhapsodes? How does it fit with the rest of what Greek literature talks about? What is her poetry about, to you? What do you think we can take away from the fact that this towering figure of Greek literature is a woman?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Tuesday!

Quiz #2 grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for Quiz #2 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.

I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.

Important notes on the Images Essay (due Oct. 6)

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Here are a few brief reminders about the Images essay, which is due very soon on Monday, October 6.

Watch the video. Make sure to watch the overview video, since that tells you exactly what I am looking for. It’s on the Images Essay page.

Thesis statement. Make sure you have an introduction with a thesis statement (your argument asserting your position on the question/problem being addressed) and a body that describes and discusses three examples from the sources supporting your thesis statement. For models and explanations on how to do this, see “Writing a Position Paper” (a.k.a. “The Elephant Pamphlet”), which is on the Resources page.

Sources.

For the museum option, if you can go to a museum in person and view the works directly, that is what I strongly prefer, as this option is about your subjective reactions to experiencing the works you are writing about. Remember to choose two works that have the same subject (two little girls, two warriors, two fertility goddesses) but from different times or places so you can talk about the implications of how the same concept was conveyed differently in different times or places.
For the film option, you need to write about the agenda of the filmmakers and the agenda of the authors of the primary source and how each is using an ancient culture to impress their own beliefs (the filmmakers’ and the authors’) on the audience. If you’re not sure about the primary sources for the film you chose, make sure to come to me and we’ll discuss.

Requirements for all papers. You must adhere to the requirements for all papers (listed on the Essay Musts page). Not meeting the requirements for all papers will mean a lower grade.

Template. There is an MS Word template already set up with some of the formatting I require on the Resources page. If you use Word, I strongly recommend making use of this template. There is one for Google Docs as well.

Late papers. As per the syllabus, late papers are marked down by ten points per class meeting, up to a cap of thirty points. Avoid this penalty and block out the time you need to prepare, write, and review your essay so that it can be submitted on time.

Brightspace. All essays are uploaded to Brightspace. There’s a link to the assignment upload space on the main page. Your essay needs to be uploaded as a Word (preferred) or PDF file attachment, not pasted in as text submission. If you use a browser-based word processor, you’ll need to export your paper as a Word document and upload that.

I’m happy to discuss any aspects of your sources or the essay, so please come to me if there’s anything you’re not sure about. I’m looking forward to hearing your interpretations of your chosen depictions of gender in the ancient world!

No meeting this week

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Tuesday classes don’t meet this week, giving you a chance to catch up and plan ahead and/or goof off (according to preference). See you next week!

Quiz #1 grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for Quiz #1 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.

I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.

Welcome to Week 4!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’re talking more about Homer, whose works are the portal to understanding how the Greeks thought about everything, including gender, since Homer’s works became the baseline for all Greek culture and all study of the Greeks. We’re reading Pomeroy’s analysis of how the women of the Trojan epic were presenting in Homer and perceived by the Greeks, but we’re also reading a few short sections of Homer himself to get a feel for how he talked about the male and female figures who shaped the outcome of the Trojan War in his epic.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. Women are important to Homer—even the war itself is made to be about a woman in Homer. How does Helen come across in these stories? Why do you think she was depicted as the impetus for the war? Do you see the women on the Trojan side (like Andromache, Hektor’s wife, and Kassandra) as being presented differently from the Greek women (like Klytaemnestra)? In the excerpts, how do you see Briseis, Nausicaa, and Penelope? What do you think Homer wanted to say about the mutual responsibilities of men and women in Greek society?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Tuesday!

Welcome to Week 3!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’ve got a big topic: How gender plays out among the stories of gods and goddesses in the ancient world.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. Here we zoom in on a key theme in this course, and in Pomeroy’s text: how goddesses are portrayed, as it contrasts to human behavior and also in contrast to the male gods. What stands out to you as the most defining characteristics of goddesses in mythology? What goddesses stand out the most to you, and what about them stands out? Remember, we’re trying to view these ideas from the perspective of people of the time. How did the peoples of these societies see a goddess as being different from a god?

Certain goddesses really stand out. Why is Athena so special and unlike anyone else in the pantheon? Pomeroy talks about an array of Greek goddesses, and many of them seem to be very potent and distinctive in terms of personality and behavior. Why do you think these goddesses were described that way? Who stands out to you as intriguing, or unfairly overlooked?

Also, I want to talk about specific male/female pairings. How do the myths contrast Zeus and Hera? Or, going even further back, Cronos and Rhea?

And: the earth is associated with female divinities (Gaia, Demeter, Kore). Is that just an analog with the production of life, or is there more to it than that?

In this context we’re looking at an early Greek author, Hesiod, and his very personal and very influential take on the story of the gods. How does Hesiod see the gods? What goddesses in particular stand out for him, and why?

Looking forward to finally hearing your thoughts and insights. See you Tuesday!

Welcome to Week 2!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’re talking about one of the oldest civilizations of the ancient world, the harsh lands of Sumer, and their most famous bequest to later generations, The Epic of Gilgamesh. We’re reading a few chunks from it, and although the protagonists of this story are two very manly men, in these passages we get three very vividly drawn women: Shamhat the prostitute, Ishtar the bratty goddess, and Ninsun, Gilgamesh’s mother archetype.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. As we talk about this, I’m interested in hearing what stands out to you about these passages. How does the people’s anger at Gilgamesh relate to gender? Why is Shamhat written as being so critical to the story of Enkidu? And why do you think it’s important she’s a prostitute rather than another kind of woman in society? What role does Ninsun play in Gilgamesh’s story? What is Ishtar all about? Given what we see of other women in the Epic, do you think she’s being painted by her actions as a woman, or as a god? And on the testosterone side, what do you think the dudebro attitudes and goals of Gilgamesh and Enkidu tell us about how the author saw the differences between men and women within a community?

We had a great discussion last time, and this time we have some really meaty (or juicy, if you want vegetarian metaphors) stuff to discuss. When we get together this week, I especially want us to talk a lot about Gilgamesh and what it tells us. Also, I want to hear your reactions to the article you read. The discussion on this is important, since only some of us will have read the one you chose. What was the author trying to convince you of? What did you think of his or her arguments, and the evidence used to support it? What insight does this give us into how the Sumerians thought about gender?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions. See you Tuesday!

Sign up for your presentations

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Thanks for a great discussion and inauguration yesterday! Here’s a reminder about signing up for presentations.

Over the course of the semester we’ll be exploring a number of readings, both primary and secondary sources. Everyone will have a chance to briefly introduce one of each to the class in order to kick off our discussion of the text and what the reading is telling us.

Go ahead and sign up now for your two presentations. The sign-up page is on the course website (at markbwilson dot com), under Presentations. Look the list over and find one that seems like it might be interesting to spend a little time with when it comes up later in the semester. Each of the titles has a URL link to the reading, so you can get a preview. The dates on which we’ll be getting to each reading are there, too.

If you haven’t watched the welcome video on the home page of the course website, do that first. Feel free to ask me any questions!

Welcome to Week 1!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This is a quick note to welcome you all to the beginning of Women in Antiquity! I’m looking forward to exploring gender in the ancient world with all of you, starting with our first meeting on Tuesday. The meeting is in-person, 6:00 – 8:40 p.m., in Carman 209.

This week we’re exploring ideas about gender norms and expectations in ancient societies, including shared perspectives ancient cultures tend to have in common as well as the kinds of things that tend to be radically different from one culture to the next. How do we gain insight into what it means to be a woman, or a man, in ancient Egypt, Greece, Sumer, Judea, or Rome? We’ll also talk what you’re hoping to explore in the course. What about the women in the ancient world do you find interesting or want to know more about? What aspects of gender in antiquity do you want to look into and understand better?

Syllabus and video: As a reminder, the syllabus, assignments, and requirements are all on the course website, which is on my website, markbwilson dot com. Make sure you’ve looked through the site and that you’ve watched the welcome video, which talks about how the course works and answers some common questions.

Books: Also make sure you have the book. The Pomeroy will be getting regular use starting in a couple of weeks, and it shouldn’t be hard to find. The reading assignments on the Schedule page of the website are what you need to have read (and thought about) before coming to class.

Email me: Many of you replied back to the welcome-to-the-course email I sent you after you enrolled, confirming that I have a good email address for you. If you didn’t, could you do me a favor and reply back to this one and let me know that I can use this address, or that a different email is better for you? Thanks. I’ll be sending out lots of emails, including weekly previews and information on assignments, so it’s important I’m able to reach you.

Sign up for your presentations: There is a sign-up page on the course website for the two presentations you’ll be doing: one on a primary source, and another on one of the articles we’re reading throughout the semester. These presentations are just you introducing a reading to the class, along with your take on what the author is trying to say and what you think it means, as a way of kicking off our discussion of that reading.

Everyone needs to sign up for one presentation on a primary source, and one on a secondary source. You can get that out of the way now and choose readings and topics that seem interesting to you. To get to the page, click on “Presentation” in the side menu, then “Signup #1” and “Signup #2”. As always, I'm grateful to those who pick the earlier ones! If you have questions, we’ll talk more about presentations and the rest of the course components at our first meeting.

That’s it for now. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll see you all on Tuesday!

Welcome to Women in Antiquity! (Fall 2025)

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Women in Antiquity! I’m looking forward to a great semester exploring ideas of gender in the ancient world.

Right now, I need you to do three things.

First, look over the course web page, which will be our base of operations. Watch the quick welcome and orientation video (linked here and on the overview page). Look through each of the pages on the website to see how the course will work and how the readings and discussions are set up. Any questions about how it works, please send me an email.

Second, get the book now if you can. A lot of you will be ordering books online, and you need to make sure you have the book and are ready to go when the course starts on August 26. On the “Books” page I’ve tried to give you some different options for getting what you need, but consider ordering now if there’s going to be any kind of shipping involved. (If you come across a legitimate online/e-text version of one of the assigned readings that’s not already listed, please let me know.)

Finally, send me an email so that I know I have a working email address for you. You can just send a blank email, email and say “hi”, or email with a question or concern, but I want to make sure I can contact everyone. If you receive an email from me but there is an email address you prefer I use instead of this one, please definitely reply and tell me that.

Email me anytime with questions at mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu. I’m looking forward to starting our journey together.