War and Masculinity in Roman and Medieval Culture

Peltonen, Jaakkojuhani (ed.)
Pyy, Elina (ed.)
Rantala, Jussi (ed.)

The chapters in this volume highlight the complexity and diversity of approaches to how ancient and medieval cultures understood martial masculinity and the significance warfare had on masculine values during the premodern era. They also point to how these ideals were manifested in numerous environments, covering topics from multiple points of view and using a variety of sources and methods.
In the ancient and medieval periods, “manliness” was often understood as the ability to demonstrate bravery in war and eagerness to use violence in different situations. While certain marginal groups, such as philosophers and Christians, promoted more peaceful ideals of masculinity, war and masculinity were tightly connected to the cultures and societies of antiquity and the Middle Ages. Indeed, in Roman and later medieval culture, warfare played an essential role in constructing ideals of proper manliness and masculinity. This constructed masculinity manifested itself not only in written culture but also in everyday life, both visually and bodily.