CAREER WOMEN IN ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME: POETS, PHILOSOPHERS, DOCTORS, AND BUSINESS OWNERS

associate professor James Chong-Gossard, University of Melbourne

Many people might assume that ancient history is the history of men. But in fact, Greek and Roman antiquity is full of inspiring women who became masters of their craft, whether it was the arts and humanities, medicine, or business. Sappho, Erinna, Nossis and Anyte were Greek poets who achieved fame in their day and inspired generations of future writers. Theano, Perictione, Melissa, Ptolemais, and others were Pythagorean philosophers who dispensed philosophical advice to other women. Hagnodike won fame as a doctor in classical Athens, but had to disguise herself as a man to do it. But centuries later in the city of Tlos, there was no need for disguise; the Greek-speaking citizens there awarded special honours to Antiochis for her work as a doctor, and she set up a statue of herself with her own funds. In Rome, Coelia Mascellina and her mother were importers and wholesalers of Spanish wine and olive oil, and many other women are known to have owned and managed workshops for lead pipes and bricks. Although so much of what these women did survives now in fragments, enough remains for us to marvel and be inspired by their achievements.

associate Professor james chong-gossard, University of Melbourne

James H.K.O. Chong-Gossard is an Associate Professor in Classics at the University of Melbourne, where he has taught Ancient Greek and Latin for 23 years. He has published research on women in Greek tragedy, especially the plays of Euripides; Renaissance Latin commentaries on ancient Roman drama; sex scandals of Roman emperors; and the teaching of Ancient Greek and Latin in universities. He teaches a course on "Gender and Sexuality in Greece and Rome" to 4th-year university students. He also collects teddy bears and has over 150 in his office!

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