The second edition of a sourcebook on sexuality in Greek and Roman antiquity originally published in 2005 could mark a light-touch rehearsal of a successful contribution to the ever-growing corpus of accessible classical texts focused on gender and sexuality studies or a forward-facing recognition of, engagement with and enhancement of the theoretical scope and thematic scale of the first edition’s remit. Given the editor’s acknowledgement that this second edition ‘addresses the substantial increase in scholarly analysis of ancient sexuality both in respect of individual writers and specific themes’ (p. xxii), it is pleasing to report that the volume under review offers a carefully curated, closely edited selection of primary sources in revised translation across an expanded catalogue of chapters that illuminate the complex sexual attitudes, practices and discourses that shaped classical Mediterranean societies.

The sourcebook’s re-organisation merits particular praise. Rather than adopting a strictly chronological approach, J. has thoughtfully arranged the material thematically, allowing readers to trace conceptual threads across different periods and genres. Chapters reuse original headings (Chapters 1–3, 7–8: ‘The divine sphere’, ‘Beauty’, ‘Marriage’, ‘Sex and violence’ and ‘Anxiety and repulsion’), are renamed to indicate better content and appropriate terminology (Chapters 4–6: ‘Sexual labour’, ‘Same-sex attraction’ and ‘Sex aids, didactic literature and handbooks’) or have been added to reflect the growth in research and exploration of new themes (Chapters 9–10: ‘Taboos, alterity and marginal activities’ and ‘Celebrity sex’). This refreshed structure facilitates comparative analysis between Greek and Roman attitudes towards important familiar topics – such as marriage and weddings, commercial sex, same-sex love and erotics, and sexual morality – and introduces a plethora of new subjects – such as embodiment, gender and religion, cross-dressing and transgender history, and disability in antiquity.

The introduction to the second edition, ‘A socio-sexual background to Greece and Rome’, retains discussions of feminist research and Foucauldian interventions into Graeco-Roman antiquity, acknowledging the groundbreaking intellectual endeavours of the late twentieth century (particularly the 1980s and 1990s) that so profoundly enriched studies on ancient sexuality and gender. An appended survey of ‘ancient sexuality since 2005’ (pp. 14–17) spotlights the extraordinarily vigorous consolidation of existing research as well as the growth of scholarship on new themes, methodologies and theories. Nuanced recognition of these developments in the study of sexuality and gender since the publication of the first edition is reflected throughout the second.

J.’s introductory material for each section – developed, as J. indicates, ‘to better contextualise the ancient source material’ and, as a result, ‘sometimes … exceeding the length of [the excerpted passages]’ (p. xxii) – provides essential historical and social context without overwhelming non-specialist readers. Informed by an understanding of an author or composer’s cultural heritage, style and tone, the genre within which the item should be situated, as well as areas of cultural similarity and difference in relation to the attitudes, mores and practices of ancient Greeks and Romans, her translations strike a commendable balance between scholarly precision and readability, making the work accessible to undergraduate students while maintaining sufficient rigour for advanced researchers. The annotations are thorough and judiciously applied, offering clarification where ancient cultural practices, uses of mythology or divergences of scholarly opinion might confuse modern readers without interrupting the flow of the original texts.

The selection of 249 items – from the works of named composers, anthologies, and epigraphical and papyrological collections – is subjective, certainly, but at the same time thematically sensitive and, as much as any sourcebook can be, representative. J. draws on expected sources such as Aristotle, Plato, Ovid and Juvenal, but also incorporates less frequently anthologised material from medical texts, legal documents and graffiti. This diversity of sources (literature, epigraphy, papyri) provides a more nuanced view of sexuality than many comparable collections. Particularly valuable is the inclusion of materials that provide glimpses into non-elite experiences and female perspectives, areas traditionally under-represented in classical anthologies.

If the first edition had a weakness, it resided in its somewhat limited engagement with recent theoretical approaches to ancient sexuality. Pleasingly, this shortfall is addressed in J.’s introduction to the second edition and rectified in the augmented treatment of respective themes, acknowledging contemporary scholarly debates regarding the applicability of modern sexual categories to ancient contexts, literary and personal insights, as well as cultural and historical considerations throughout the volume. Whether in the extensively revised original chapters or in new chapters, the theoretical framework of each chapter and of the sourcebook as a whole displays recognition of and engagement with the diversity of current intellectual developments in ancient world studies of sexuality and gender. This approach has the virtue of allowing the texts not only to speak for themselves but also to draw connections (inter alia) to erotic, artistic and aesthetic reception, queer theory and intersectionality, postcolonial and body perspectives, gender and women’s studies, disability studies and gerontology, and the lived realities of women and girls – to paraphrase J., to the lives of those who lived ‘outside of the Classical ideal’ and to a socio-historical position that ‘converses with the experiences’ of a twenty-first-century readership (p. 16).

The bibliographical materials are exemplary, offering comprehensive guidance for further reading arranged by both theme and ancient author. The index is similarly thorough, making this an indispensable reference tool for both teaching and research contexts.

J.’s sourcebook stands as an essential resource for anyone engaged with the study of ancient sexuality, gender or social history. It will undoubtedly continue to be a standard text in undergraduate curricula and a valuable reference work for scholars working across disciplinary boundaries.