This book is an in-depth study of the topic of rape in classical Athens. Its central focus is on violent sexual encounters but it also raises questions about the nature and ingredients of any type of sexual activity in Athens. In particular it concentrates on two related areas: the law of classical Athens, especially as represented by speeches delivered in court, and the plays of Menander. These work at complementary levels in respect of period, subject matter and concerns with social conformity, while at the same time being widely different genres of discourse. It is argued that within the evaluation of heterosexual activity in Athens considerations about the consent of the female party were never the key factor. Rather it was the status of the two parties, in social, marital and political terms which ultimately determined whether or not a sexual act was regarded as acceptable.

A trio of tales offering an eye-opening alternative view of ancient Greece's literary culture.
A fascinating counterpoint to the monumental epics of ancient Greece, Greek Fiction features three novelistic works written between the first and fourth centuries AD. Chariton's "Callirhoe"-perhaps the first novel ever written-is the stirring tale of two star-crossed lovers who are torn apart when Callirhoe is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Longus's "Daphnis and Chloe" tells the story of a boy and girl-both abandoned at birth-who grow up to fall in love and battle pirates. "Letters of Chion" is an early thriller about tyranny and political assassination. Together these works open a welcome window onto ancient Greece's little-explored legacy of prose fiction.

Were acts of sex which we would call rape and regard as a criminal offence similarly regarded in classical Athens? That is the main question posed in this book, the first in-depth study of the topic ever to be undertaken. It considers the legal terminology for rape and discusses exactly what these different terms describe. It also examines literary stories where rape and/or seduction feature as plot devices and looks at different characters' responses to them. The book's presentation makes it accessible to a wider readership of non-classicists.