August - 2026

The Mind of the Slave: The Limits of Ownership in Roman Law and Society (University of Michigan Press, 2026, 240 pages, $75.00), by Nicole J. Giannella, is a study of the autonomy of enslaved people vis-à-vis their owners, as well as the negotiations between them in Imperial Roman society. Giannella starts with legal definitions regarding Roman enslaved people, and examines their dual identity as both "property" and "human being." Placing the latter aspect in perspective, the author cross-references legal sources with texts by various authors (such as Seneca, Plutarch, Epictetus, and Pliny the Younger, among others) to investigate the efforts owners made to understand the minds and autonomous subjectivities of their enslaved people as a means of securing their cooperation in daily life. Conversely, this effort reveals the owners' need to negotiate with their enslaved people, offering various incentives to prevent them from acting against their owners' interests. Thus, the study contributes to discussions regarding the agency of Roman enslaved people, viewed, in this instance, through the eyes and fears of their owners. 

In The Lives and Deaths of Women in Ancient Pompeii (University of Texas Press, 2025, 312 pages, $55), Brenda Longfellow analyzes the public lives and social agency of women in Pompeii, challenging the traditional view that confined them primarily to the domestic sphere. The author employs an interdisciplinary approach, and synthesizes archaeological evidence, epigraphy, graffiti, wall paintings, statues, and monumental architecture, ranging from private homes and commercial spaces to public buildings, sanctuaries, and funerary monuments, to reconstruct the daily experiences and social presence of women in the city. Focusing its analysis on the trajectories of key figures (such as Eumachia, Mamia, Julia Felix, and Holconia), as well as anonymous women, the enslaved, and freedwomen, the book examines women's roles in the spheres of civic patronage, priestly life, economic transactions, the construction of funerary monuments, and post-mortem cults. By emphasizing materiality and the urban context of Pompeii, Longfellow demonstrates how women's initiatives and leadership were not merely accepted but integrated and desired by the local community itself.