Women in Relief. 'Double Consciousness' in Classical Attic Tombstones

Abstract

The classical Greek cemetery was a women's space. The tombstones were often decorated with idealized portraits of the women buried below; other women are also often depicted, and inscriptions give names and qualities. A living woman, tending the plots, would be encouraged by these depictions and inscriptions to contemplate the women buried there -- and to create narratives. Somewhere in the creation of these narratives would be romantic desire.