Women and War in Athenian Vase Painting

The AAMW Colloquium is an annual lecture series which, reflecting the interdisciplinary character of its faculty and students, invites scholars working across diverse cultural, temporal, geographic, and methodological areas to present research on the material cultures and communities of the ancient Mediterranean world. 

As part of this year’s colloquium, AAMW’s graduate student organizers will welcome Dr. Rachel Kousser (CUNY) to present "Women and War in Athenian Vase Painting." Utilizing a late 5th century BCE lekythos from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as its case study, Dr. Kousser’s presentation will consider renegotiations of masculine and feminine ideals in Athenian art amidst the Peloponnesian War. Focusing on the vase’s imagery, Dr. Kousser will explore how mythological imagery afforded subversions of traditional gender roles by depicting women as active protagonists within scenes of war and violence, all while relegating men to comparatively static roles.