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"Inequalities in the Ancient Mediterranean" is a panel discussion moderated by Meg Conkey, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, featuring three presentations.
"Interpreting Gender Inequality in ancient Greece" by Kim Shelton, Associate Professor, Classics
Evidence of gender inequality from ancient Greece presents a dichotomy. The visual record is remarkably different from the archaeological and historical evidence while gender roles among the gods are in contrast to those in the society that worships them. I will illustrate some examples from the prehistoric and historic period to discuss possible interpretations.
"Jews in the Roman Empire: A Persecuted Minority?" by Erich Gruen, Professor Emeritus of History
The talk will look at Jewish experience in light of Roman attitudes toward alien religions generally. It asks whether Rome's normally tolerant reception of sects and cults from various parts of the Hellenic and Near Eastern worlds gave way to prejudice and persecution when it came to Jews.
"Slavery in the Roman Empire" by J. Theodore Peña, Professor, Classics
The population of the Roman empire consisted of persons who were free-born, enslaved and ex-slaves who had been emancipated, and the fact of slavery was a defining characteristic of Roman social and economic organization. Although we know a great deal about some aspects of Roman slavery from evidence such as funerary epitaphs, the experience of Roman slaves remains obscure to us in many regards, and it is only in recent years that scholars have made a concerted effort to “find” slaves in the archaeological record. One facet of this work has involved the analysis of Roman residential structures carried out with a view to understanding the dynamics of the interactions between slaves and their owners on a day-to-day basis. The presenter will illustrate some of the possibilities and challenges involved in work of this kind by highlighting research that he is currently carrying out at Pompeii that examines the disposition and circulation of material culture within residences at the boundary between households where slaves were likely present and households in which they were likely absent.