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A companion to families in the Greek and Roman worlds

by Beryl Rawson

Recent decades have witnessed a dramatic surge of interest in the study of families in the ancient Mediterranean world. Social history has only recently extended its scope to include women, children, slaves, and foreigners, giving birth to a new definition of "the family" that recognizes the great diversity of family forms in classical antiquity. A Companion to Families in the Greek and Roman Worlds draws from both established and current scholarship to offer a broad and interdisciplinary overview of the field, engage in contemporary debates, and pose stimulating questions about future development in the study of families. -- Employing new methodologies and relying on textual and visual evidence from a variety of disciplines, such as archeology, art, law, and early Christianity, this international team of contributors presents important new insights into life in ancient Greece and Rome and serves to broaden our understanding of the social structures of classical antiquity. --Book Jacket.