The Nurse in Greek Life

A study of the nurse in ancient Greek society surveys classical literature from Homer through Plutarch to trace terms used for caregivers, their social standing, and household functions. It details duties such as wet-nursing, bathing, feeding, rocking, toy-making, education and consoling of children, the nurse's role with adolescent family members, and representations in nursery tales, lullabies, and apotropaic stories. The work also considers funerary monuments depicting nurses and compiles primary and secondary sources to support its social-history approach.