The Role of Women
By Lydia Pokluda
How were girls and women named?
• Identified by feminine (grammatical gender) of family name
• Numerical adjectives distinguished sisters• Nomenclature• Did not have praenomen• Some families added cognomen
Roman Girls Treated differently than Boys
• Homeschooled• Learned different skills than boys• Played with rags and dolls• Some played board and ball games
Ludus Calcorum
A Girl’s Education
• Homeschooled• Learned skills boys didn’t • Learned to run a household• Learned to cook• Learned to be a wife
Marriage
• Similar to our traditions today• Engagement ring• By 14, father chose groom• June was a special month• Religious ceremony followed by a feast• Transferred authority and all of woman’s
property to the “pater familias”• Divorce was legal
Rights of a Woman in the Household
• Center of household• Taught daughters to cook and sew• Took care of home and family• Could not suggest to husband
Attire of Wealthy Women
• Stola -two rectangular segments of cloth joined by fibulae and buttons-Wore the palla over
• Ornate necklaces, armlets, anklets, breast chains, brooches, jeweled buttons, parasols
Jobs of Roman Women
• Promote family and husband’s interests
• Could manage own business• Lower classes: carpenters, dyers, sewers, or
embroiderers• One woman painter• Influenced politics, could not
serve
The Ideal Roman Woman
• Virtuous daughter• Brave wife• Devoted mother• Upper class women became patrons
of their home cities
Attitude towards Powerful Women
• Could not be in army• Could not be hold political office• Were allowed to enter business• Lent money to peers to avoid
moneylenders
Famous Roman Women
• Cloelia helped guards and Roman girls to safety• Lucretia’s rape caused the revolution that
overthrew the monarchy and established the Roman Republic
• Julia Agrippina “Agrippina the Younger” had a double canine in her upper right jaw-good fortune
Bibliography• http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/women.htm
l• http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-dress.html• http://www.crystalinks.com/romewomen.html• http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/Romans/Wright/cl
othing.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Ancient_Rome• http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel/html/marrcustwo
m.html• http://www.the-romans.co.uk/women.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloelia• http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/ancient_rom
an_jobs.htm• http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlig
ht_objects/pe_mla/g/gold_breast_chain.aspx