and many are known to us only through literary quotations, scraps of papyrus or even graffiti. Women's literature in the ancient world spanned the fields of poetry and prose. There is lyric, epic and Christian poetry, along with prose works in history, medicine, alchemy, oratory and philosophy. In addition to genuine works by women, antiquity witnessed the creation of pseudonymous texts which were attributed to famous people (including some women); examples of these are included in this collection. Each author is introduced with a critical review of what we know about the writer, her work and the significance of her work, along with discussion of the texts which follow. The general introduction looks into the problem of the authenticity of some texts attributed to women and places literature by women into the wider literary and social contexts of the ancient Greco-Roman world.