3793 - Ancient Rome’s Sexual Politics and Today's Misogyny (Victoria Alvear)
Course Description
Instructor: Victoria Alvear
The tenets of today’s sexual politics and purity cultures were set in motion in ancient Rome, hundreds of years before Christianity. A four-week exploration of how attitudes toward women, sex, power, and purity shaped the Roman worldview. We will cover Rome’s unique understanding of and attempt to control women’s autonomy by analyzing its foundational myths, including the story of the original virgin mother—the Vestal Virgin, Rhea—who gave birth to Romulus and Remus after being impregnated by the god of war, Mars. From the importance of Vestal Virgins’ purity to the nation-states’ sense of safety, to Rome’s reactions to powerful women rulers such as Boudicca, Cleopatra, and Zenobia, this course takes a fascinating deep dive into the ways the tenets of our modern misogyny are an outgrowth of the ideas, stories, and myths of ancient Rome.
Book: The Cleansing, Victoria Alvear, Hypatia Press (2026)
IBSN: 978-1839196348
Bio: Victoria Alvear is the author of numerous books and novels set in the ancient world, including The Cleansing, A Day of Fire, Cleopatra's Moon, and others. A Day of Fire was optioned by Amazon/UK and Ridley Scott Productions for a possible 6 -part series. She has also served as a docent at the Carlos Museum at Emory for nearly 20 years.