The gendered construction of emotions in the Greek and Roman worlds

This article discusses the hypothesis of a distinct separation between “feminine” and “masculine” emotions as perceived in Antiquity, in order to shed light on the chronological process at work, from archaic Greece to imperial Rome, in the construction of both gender and the emotions. The study stresses the importance of social reactions toward emotions, of city life, and of public oratory in the (de)construction of the gendered aspects of emotions.