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The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis
oleh: Chiara Albanesi, Ilaria Battiloro
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | Presses universitaires du Midi 2011-10-01 |
Deskripsi
This chapter seeks to provide new insight into understanding how Lucanian society was structured, with a special focus on the social role of women. The research takes into consideration votive offerings and ritual objects from sanctuaries and grave goods from necropoleis. A typological survey of the most commonly dedicated votive offerings reveals that there was a division of roles between male and female components of Lucanian society, in which women performed domestic activities, while men were the very protagonists of warfare as well as social and political life. An analysis of some samples of contemporary tombs containing objects linked to symposion challenges this reading, as vases and tools for symposia can be found also in female tombs. This data, therefore, encourages reconsideration of gender roles in ancient Lucania, as they are commonly reconstructed on the basis of archaeological evidence from sanctuaries. When comparing data from sanctuaries with evidence from tombs, the “male-female” polarity, which appears so clear cut from the examination of votive offerings, seems more nuanced and compels us to wonder whether a wider women’s participation to sympotic rituals (and therefore typically “male” social activities) should be considered in Lucanian society.