Sexual Violence Against Women in Ancient Political Thought

• In Event: Enmity, War, and Peace in the History of Political Thought

Abstract

In this paper, I will examine the ways in which sexual violence against women is addressed by ancient political thinkers and historians. Herodotus, Thucydides, and Livy all describe instances in which women are raped en masse during violent conflict or the sacking of cities. I seek to explain how these historians understand these crimes of sexual violence, the ways in which these crimes are redressed or ignored, and what we can glean about the women involved who are never given an opportunity to speak for themselves. I will use this examination of ancient examples to try to think through what justice demands in instances of mass rape and sexual violence. Such considerations will help to think about the role of sexual violence throughout the history of political thought, as well as demands for justice from present-day victims of sexual violence during armed conflict.

Author

• Colleen Mitchell