Women in power : from goddesses to mortals in the ancient Mediterranean : the case of Ptolemaic Egypt and Hasmonean Judea

Abstract

Women in Power: From Goddesses to Mortals in the Ancient Mediterranean seeks to uncover and explore the relationship between the female figures presented as goddesses in myth and cult, and mortal women, in terms of powerful positions and leading roles. This research starts from the analysis of the representation of the female in Egyptian and Greek mythology and early Hebrew texts and moves on to investigate the power and leadership positions women could access in their context. The main protagonists of this research are the queens as their position puts them at a crossroads between sacred influence and political power. The exploration of the role of women in cult and state matters shall be conducted through two kingdoms in the Mediterranean – the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Hasmoneans in Judea during the period of the 3rd to the 1st century BCE. Case studies of particular queens from each monarchy will reveal if there is a correlation between the female powers and abilities in the divine realm and the real access to political leadership and authority women had in these particular areas of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean approach acknowledges that the two regions were somehow influenced by the Greco-Roman culture but still bore their specific and local aspects in cultic and religious matters, and in the social distribution and position of women in their communities.