How can material artifacts help illuminate the religious lives of women in antiquity? In what ways do archaeological and art historical studies recover women's religious perspectives and experiences that the literary record misses or underrepresents? The authors of the essays in this volume set out to answer such questions in fascinating, new case studies of women and ancient religions in the Near East and Mediterranean world. They cover a broad historical, geographic, and religious spectrum as they explore women's lives from the time of ancient Egypt in the second millennium BCE into the early medieval period, from the Syrian Desert to Western Europe, in the religious traditions of Egypt, Canaan, Greece, Rome, ancient Israel, early Judaism, and early Christianity. Working at the intersections of religion, archaeology, art history, and women's history, these authors make fresh contributions to interdisciplinary studies, and their essays will be of interest to students and scholars across these academic fields.

This book is a collection of essays that contribute to the debate on the contextual interpretation of scripture from an African context. The book engages biblical narratives from the lived experiences of Africans, insisting that meaning is attained only when people bring their daily experiences into their reading of scripture. The contributors examine the interaction of African peoples with the Bible in juxtaposition with the forces of colonialism, neocolonialism, patriarchy, war, and bad governance. This book gives voice to the lived experiences of African peoples in their quest for full expression of the profundity of their union with God by aiding them to unmask inhumanity and indignity.

This focused look at women in the household context discusses the importance of issues of space and visibility in shaping the lives of early Christian women. Several aspects of women's everyday existence are investigated, including the lives of wives, widows, women with children, female slaves, women as patrons, household leaders, and teachers. In addition, several key themes emerge: hospitality, dining practices, and the extent of female segregation.