Women in Ancient Rome

Women in Ancient Rome

In Roman times women were treated differently depending on their

class, and family background. However Roman women off all social

classes were expected to assume, that they were merely possessions of

their fathers and then of their husband.

Many Romans told a story (below) about a woman named Cornelia, a Roman

woman of the second century BC:

An upper-class women from Campania was staying with Cornelia, a mother

of the Gracchi brothers. She continually boasted about her jewels

which were the most beautiful to be seen at that time, Cornelia kept

her talking until her children returned home from their lessons, then

she said to the women: "these are my jewels"

Valerius Maximus (1st Century. AD)

Historians do not have any evidence of this story ever actually

happening, however what matters is that Romans repeated this story to

show how Roman mothers should think and act towards their children.

Cornelia was the daughter of a Roman Hero, Scipio Africanus, who had

defeated Hannibal; she was the wife of a Roman aristocrat, Tiberius

Sempronius Gracchus; and she was the mother of the Gracchi brothers,

Tiberius and Gaius, who tried to defend the rights of the ordinary

Roman people against the Roman aristocracy in the late second century

BC.

Everyone remembered Cornelia as the ideal Roman womanhood. After her

death, a bronze statue was made in her honour, with the inscriptions,

"Cornelia, daughter of Africanus, mother of the Gracchi".

Cornelia became famous due to her relationship to the men in her

family as a daughter, wife, and mother. But not for what she achieved

on her own behalf,

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... of fullers (dyers and cleaners), a

very influential trade-guild in the city. She inherited a fortune from

the father, who ran a brick-making business, and this allowed her to

marry into an establishment Pompeian family.

Eumachia, daughter of Lucius, public priestess, in her own name and

that of her son, Marcus Numistrius Fronto, built with her own funds

the porch, covered passage and colonnade, and dedicated them to

Concordia Augusta and to Pietas.

Inscription over the Entrance to the Headquarters of the Guild of

fullers.

(1st Century AD.)

To Eumachia, daughter of Lucius, public priestess, the fullers

dedicated this statue.

On the Base of Eumachia's statue (1st Century AD).

Eumachia, daughter of Lucius, build this for herself and for her.

On her Tomb outside the Nuceruan Gate (1st Century AD)