Why did Cleopatra seduce Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, engulfing the Roman Empire in bloody civil war? Why have the Amazons fascinated ancient and modern societies? From Nefertiti to Aphrodite, from Cleopatra to the Vestal Virgins, the women of the ancient world played a powerful role in its development and its demise.
Joyce Salisbury is Frankenthal Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.
What a wonderful book. It has a fantastic pedigree with Salisbury teaching at the University of Winsconsin-Green Bay and editors of the calibre of Gardner, Hallett, Kramer, Lefkowitz and Tyldesley; therefore one would expect a book of some authority and scholarship. The clever thing with this encyclopedia is that the cover suggests accessibility and a gentle read, and indeed you do get that. What you also get is a book of tremendous breadth and diversity. The text is meticulously indexed. It has an alphabetical contents and entries by category according to geographical and historical context. The foreword is enticing and the preface is extremely helpful in explaining how the book works and how to best use it. The entries give the woman's name, role, a list of linked references, and suggested further reading. There are entries for subjects related to women: work, abortion, gynaecology and so on. There are genealogical charts for the curious and maps to help place where these women lived and breathed. And live and breathe they do! Salisbury includes both real women and mythological figures - as well as those who can almost be thought of as both. What I particularly like is how highly readable the entries are. There are also numerous illustrations to illuminate the text further. Don't just put this book in the 16 to 19 section: a good reader from 11 would enjoy it too. It links to classics, women's studies, history, general studies, ancient civilisations, anthropology. Put it where lots of hands will pick it up and make the investment worth-while. The School Librarian, Spring 2002
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