The seminar will consist of two papers – presented by Alhena Gadotti and Serena Witzke – followed by a shared question round and discussion on the session specific theme of ‘gender violence in the ancient world’. The topics of the talks are:
‘Gendered Violence in the Ancient Near East: A View from Mesopotamian Literary Documents’ (Prof. Dr. Alhena Gadotti)
This lecture investigates the conceptualization of gendered violence, here understood primarily as sexual assault against women, in Sumerian literary documents from the early second millennium BCE. Beginning with background information on Mesopotamia, its history, culture and sources, the presentation discusses the methodology and documentary evidence before moving onto an overview of representations of gendered violence in Sumerian literature.
‘Gendered Violence in Ancient Rome: Non-Citizen Women’ (Prof. Dr. Serena S. Witzke)
The nature of violence in the ancient Roman world depended on one’s gender, age, status, and class. While violence against citizen women, especially those of wealth, was rare and occurred under very specific circumstances, violence (both physical and sexual) against freed- and enslaved women was quotidian. In this talk I will explore how, where, and why this violence commonly occurred.
All are welcome, so please join us in person or online!
Time: Thursday 17 November at 16:15-18:00 EET (UTC+2h).
Live venue: Faculty hall (Faculty of Theology, Fabianinkatu 24, 5th floor). Virtual venue: Zoom (Meeting ID: 678 8979 2118 / https://helsinki.zoom.us/j/67889792118).
Wonder what else is on the menu? Check out the fall program at: /en/news/language-culture/amme-program-fall-2022.