Gorgōnes kai Gynaikes: The Many Faces of Female Virtue in Greek and Roman Culture

Fonte Aretusa’s Eleventh Interdisciplinary Symposium

will be held November 22-26, 2026 with the theme of

Gorgōnes kai Gynaikes: The Many Faces of Female Virtue in Greek and Roman Culture

Was aretē in ancient Greece and Rome different for females and males? Pericles’ much-vaunted claim that the virtue of gynaikes is “not to be talked of” (Thucydides 2.45.2) seems to suggest as much, but his words are aimed specifically at war-widows and wives. The surviving evidence suggests that mortal and immortal females fulfilled a great diversity of roles and expressed a great diversity of virtues, from choral dancers to athletic maidens, rebellious wives, prolific poets, mysterious priestesses, charismatic nymphs, and even powerful goddesses. The purpose of this conference is to explore the many faces of female virtue in Greco-Roman antiquity, attempting as far as possible to discern the perspectives of historical women. 

The conference will include academic presentations, visits to the Neapolis archeological park and Paolo Orsi museum, and a post-conference excursion. We will also enjoy traditional Sicilian food and hospitality, plus an American style Thanksgiving dinner (with families invited) Thursday afternoon.

Proposals for presentations related to any aspect of the topic are welcome. Abstracts for papers should be 200-300 words in length, prepared for blind review, and saved in .docx or .rtf. They should include a title, but no footnotes or references. Evaluation criteria include quality, relevance to the conference theme, and relevance to the heritage of Sicily and Southern Italy. Scholars are welcome to participate without presenting a paper, and can request to be on the program as a session chair.

Selected proceedings will be published by Parnassos Press and indexed open access on JSTOR.

Send abstracts directly to Heather L. Reid at [email protected]. Abstracts received by July 15, 2026 will be considered for early acceptance. Final deadline for abstracts is October 1, 2026.