"Why did Cleopatra seduce Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, engulfing the Roman Empire in bloody civil war? What historical evidence substantiates tales of sexual rites in Babylonian temples? How could the Greek women who served the god Apollo at Delphi utter pronouncements that changed the course of history? Why has the story of the Amazons fascinated both ancient and modern societies?".

"This extensive and engaging A-to-Z encyclopedia, illustrated with many rare and revealing images, tells the stories of the famous and the ordinary, treating subjects as diverse as Greek heroine cults, the daily life of the German warrior women, and the intrigue, glory, and power of ancient Rome's imperial women. Hundreds of well-researched entries, each with suggestions for further reading, give a rounded view of the lives of women in the ancient world."--BOOK JACKET.