THE MISSING THREAD

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.