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STRONG, Anise K., Prostitutes and Matrons in the Roman World. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (...), 2018. 1st paperback ed. IX,304p. Paperback. 'With this monograph Anise Strong brings together matronae and meretrices (literally). Rather than simply focusing on the polarized stereotypes of wife and whore, Strong seeks ways in which women of any status defied such fixed categories and labels. Her interest is also the interactions between women of varying rank in the streets, households, and at festivals. By considering the zone between matrona and meretrix, Strong is able to identify changing attitudes and even public roles for women within Roman society and redefine the focus on female virtue as not simply sexual virtue, but a concern for “loyalty” more generally and “generosity” more broadly (205). Most importantly, she suggests a less stable and coherent system of sex and gender at play in ancient Rome, and argues that prostitutes in particular were not as stigmatized as the literary sources might lead us to believe, but participated in communal activities, including religious ritual, like other female members in the community. (...) To sum up, Strong demonstrates how some women (and even men) did not allow normative stereotypes to limit female activities and ambitions. She further challenges us to examine the sexuality of women, the position of women in Roman society, and interactions between classes of women in more multifaceted ways. Her study demands that we ponder a more complex role for prostitutes in Roman society and reject their status as largely social and legal outcasts. (...) Strong’s contribution and what makes her work a worthwhile read are the questions she asks, the variety of evidence employed, as well as her comprehensive knowledge of the subject. I recommend her monograph to anyone interested in prostitution, gender, sexuality, women, and social and cultural history more broadly. It provokes new thought on an old profession.' (ALLISON GLAZEBROOK in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2017.10.30). € 25.00 (Antiquarian) ISBN: 9781316602645