The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis

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...

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Main Authors: Chiara Albanesi, Ilaria Battiloro
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Presses universitaires du Midi 2011-10-01
Series:Pallas
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/pallas/2197
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author Chiara Albanesi
Ilaria Battiloro
author_facet Chiara Albanesi
Ilaria Battiloro
author_sort Chiara Albanesi
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj.art-dda5b9a9a1234719972959656a2050732023-02-09T16:31:47ZfraPresses universitaires du MidiPallas0031-03872272-76392011-10-018628730910.4000/pallas.2197The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleisChiara AlbanesiIlaria BattiloroThis 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.http://journals.openedition.org/pallas/2197Lucanianssanctuaryburialvotive offeringsgrave goodsgender
spellingShingle Chiara Albanesi
Ilaria Battiloro
The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis
Pallas
Lucanians
sanctuary
burial
votive offerings
grave goods
gender
title The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis
title_full The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis
title_fullStr The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis
title_full_unstemmed The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis
title_short The mundus muliebris within Lucanian society: Tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis
title_sort mundus muliebris within lucanian society tales of women and social life from sanctuaries and necropoleis
topic Lucanians
sanctuary
burial
votive offerings
grave goods
gender
url http://journals.openedition.org/pallas/2197
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