Background
Spaeth, Barbette Stanley was born on March 26, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Daughter of Harold Opie and Barbara Adeline (Yunker) Stanley.
( Interest in goddess worship is growing in contemporary ...)
Interest in goddess worship is growing in contemporary society, as women seek models for feminine spirituality and wholeness. New cults are developing around ancient goddesses from many cultures, although their modern adherents often envision and interpret the goddesses very differently than their original worshippers did. In this thematic study of the Roman goddess Ceres, Barbette Spaeth explores the rich complexity of meanings and functions that grew up around the goddess from the prehistoric period to the Late Roman Empire. In particular, she examines two major concepts, fertility and liminality, and two social categories, the plebs and women, which were inextricably linked with Ceres in the Roman mind. Spaeth then analyzes an image of the goddess in a relief of the Ara Pacis, an important state monument of the Augustan period, showing how it incorporates all these varied roles and associations of Ceres. This interpretation represents a new contribution to art history. With its use of literary, epigraphical, numismatic, artistic, and archaeological evidence, The Roman Goddess Ceres presents a more encompassing view of the goddess than was previously available. It will be important reading for all students of Classics, as well as for a general audience interested in New Age, feminist, or pagan spirituality.
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Spaeth, Barbette Stanley was born on March 26, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Daughter of Harold Opie and Barbara Adeline (Yunker) Stanley.
Bachelor in Classical Languages summa cum laude, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1977. Master of Arts in Classical Langs, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1977. Doctor of Philosophy in Classical Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 1988.
Lecturer European division University Maryland, Heidelberg, Germany, 1983-1984, University Maryland Baltimore County, Catonsville, 1984. Assistant professor department classical studies Tulane University, New Orleans, 1987-1994, associate professor, 1994—2001. Associate professor classical studies College William and Mary, since 2001, chair classical studies, 2005—2010.
Excavator Sanctuary of Apollo, Kourion, Cyprus, summers 1982-1983. Trenchmaster Kommos (Crete, Greece) Excavations, summers 1984-1985, faculty associate Office Dean Faculty Liberal Arts & Sciences, Tulane. University, 1998-1999, founding director Program in Religious Traditions the West, 1997-1901, Academic Center Learning, Research & Technology, 1999-1901, founding manager Center Teaching Excellence, 2000-2001, chair Department Classical Studies, College William & Mary, 2005-2010, program director Rome & Pompeii Program, Reves Center International Studies, 2010, president Alumni Association American School Classical Studies, Athens, 2007-2010.
Society Ancient Mediterranean Religions, since 2008. Consulting editor The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology, 2002.
( Interest in goddess worship is growing in contemporary ...)
Member Managing Committee American School or Classical Studies. Member American Philological Association, Archaeol. Institute American, Classical Association Middle West and South, Society Biblical Literature, Society Ancient Mediterranean Religions (president, since 2008), Phi Beta Kappa.
Married Robert ThomasSpaeth, June 24, 1978 (divorced June 1990).