If she spends another month with me like this, I will throw myself into the sea (PPetaus 29, 8-10). Women and Family Conflict in Greco-Roman Egypt

Abstract

The study of the ancient family has gained the interest of scholars, as it contributes to a better understanding of the ancient world and the history of the family. In recent decades, sociologists and historians have focused their attention on theories emphasizing the conflicting interests of different family members and domestic violence in antiquity. Τhe most plentiful documentation of family disputes in the Greco-Roman world is provided by numerous papyri from Egypt. This paper aims to discuss the role of women both in the initiation and the settlement of a family dispute in the light of papyrus documents (mainly letters and petitions) from Greco-Roman Egypt. It would be of great interest to investigate the ways in which fundamental social customs and economic conditions of Roman Egypt produced everyday conflicts within the household. In addition, particular attention will be paid to how interfamilial tensions, especially between the women of the household, could affect the family's role as an economic and social unit.