Sex and Gender in Roman Bioarchaeology

Chapter 2 reviews previous and ongoing explorations into sex and gender representation in Roman period bioarchaeology. In this chapter, Quade and Gowland examine how Roman period scholars conceived of sex and gender and clarify why traditional methods of studying these topics bioarchaeologically are deficient. The authors focus on how Roman concepts of gender were experienced and biologically embedded, and how they survived in the skeletons of those individuals. Turning to the future, Quade and Gowland identify productive avenues for investigating sex and gender in the Roman archaeological record. Among other areas of investigation, the authors emphasize the importance of incorporating gender and social theory into Roman period bioarchaeological research. This chapter highlights the potential of bioarchaeology to reconstruct narratives of sex and gender in the Roman world.