Women in Antiquity (Fall 2025)

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.