Sarah Pomeroy seeks to reconstruct the lives and the world of Sparta's women--including how their legal status changed over time and how they held on to their surprising autonomy. Written by one of the leading authorities on women in antiquity, this is the first full-length study of Spartan women. ... the book marks a significant advance for the study of women in ancient Sparta, as Pomeroy is the first to present the comprehensive evidence for the importance of Spartan women broadly across various arenas of Spartan society and to provide meaningful interpretations for misunderstood aspects of Spartan women's lives.