Engendering Aphrodite: Women and Society in Ancient Cyprus

The last three decades have witnessed the introduction of gendered approaches to the social sciences in general, and archaeology in particular, developing initially within the rubric of womens studies by American feminist and other politically minded academics who formed part of the Womens Movement of the early 1970s. By examining archaeological remains from the perspective of gender, we can begin to formulate approaches to the study of past cultures more deliberately and intimately. The papers in this volume focus on issues of gender and society in ancient Cyprus from the Neolithic to Roman periods. The introduction of gender as a focal point in archaeological research will continue to advance the discipline by contributing vital new approaches to the social interactions of the islands rich and dynamic past.