Women's Roles In Ancient Rome

Women in Ancient Rome: Their Roles Beyond Reproduction

In the year 195 CE, Roman women took to the streets in protest of an outdated law that limited what they could wear and how they could travel. They crowded the Capitol and blocked many of Rome’s streets. Thousands of women left their homes to make known their distaste for the Oppian Laws and ask their government to repeal the restrictive legislation. After being scolded for their unladylike behavior, they besieged the homes of the tribunes in order to make known their commitment to getting rid of the unjust laws. These women participated in one of the first recorded women’s rights protests in history and are evidence that Roman women played a far more important role in society than simply

child bearers.
Although they are often overlooked by historians of the male-dominated culture, women in ancient Rome served important roles in mythology, the home, and society as a whole. Roman tradition includes them as some of the most influential players in the founding of the city of Rome. Goddesses, although often portrayed as acting out of jealousy or spite, are some of the leading characters in the early history of the empire. There is even evidence that they played significant, though unofficial, roles in politics during the Roman Republic. ADD A GOOD TRANSITION SENTENCE
In Vergil’s Aeneid, women play central characters in the founding of Rome. Venus, the mother of Aeneas, works tirelessly throughout the tale to help her son safely reach Latium in order to found the empire promised him by fate. While she is the goddess of love and lust, she is also a depiction of a good Roman mother who does everything in her power to assist her son in achieving success. Sibyl, a prophetess, guides Aeneas through the underworld and helps him see the greater purpose in his countless struggles. One of the epic poem’s most interesting characters, Camilla, is the antithesis of the ideal Roman woman but is also someone to be emulated. She is skilled on the battlefield and displays an intense patriotism that any Roman male would do well to imitate. Although she is a strong female character, her eventual downfall comes from a love of finery, which shows that Vergil did not think too highly of women and also served as a warning for women to avoid mimicking Camilla’s masculine traits.
Livy’s History of Rome includes a plethora of stories regarding the virtue of Roman women and depicting the ideals for which they should strive.

Despite his adherence to deeply gendered tradition, the stories he relates help detail the fundamental roles women played in the history of the empire. One of the earliest examples of this is found in the account of the Sabine women. This series of events shows the importance of women in forming alliances and linking families, something that could not happen if women were not at least moderately valued. Perhaps most importantly, the intervention of Romulus’ wife, Hersilia, in the battle following the abduction of the Sabine women displays the influence Roman women held within their families. Because these men appreciated and respected their wives and daughters, they listened to their pleas to halt the violence before too many lives were lost. This shows that while women may not have been considered equals, they were not discounted as

people.
Within the Roman home, a woman’s role differed greatly depending on her social status. Lower class women were expected to work outside the home to help care for the household while wealthy women were able to delegate tasks to slaves and enjoy a life of relative leisure. The main role of all women during this period was to bear children. Aristocrats were expected to be perpetually pregnant because their husbands could afford to care for as many children as they could produce. On the other hand, lower class women were only required to give birth to as many children as they could support. No matter a woman’s class, infertility could be grounds for divorce, so it was important to be able to get pregnant whenever their husband wanted another child.
Mothers had responsibilities beyond simply having children. They were expected to teach their children how to become good Roman citizens. It fell to the mothers to teach their daughters Roman culture so that they could pass those traditions along to their own children. Women were often taught to read and write, although education beyond that was unlikely, and it was typically their job to teach their daughters that same skill. Young boys usually went to school, so mothers were not required to teach them quite as much. As their sons grew older, however, women were supposed to do all that they could to advance their son’s political careers.
Perhaps the most interesting portions of Roman life as a female existed in the realm of politics. Women were severely limited in their legal rights of ownership and family law but were still regarded as citizens of the empire. Women could not vote, hold office, or otherwise participate in politics, but that did not stop them from making their voices heard. Women had no political power, but they definitely had political influence. As previously mentioned, the Oppian Laws of 216 BCE became a source of contention for women in the Roman Republic. During the Punic Wars, the tribunes created these laws in order to reduce spending on luxury goods and help fund the military. These laws dictated that women could not own more than half an ounce of gold, they could not wear clothing made of certain colors, particularly purple, and they were forbidden from riding in carriages within the city or one mile thereof. Once the war came to a close and Rome appeared victorious, wealth began to flow from the conquered territories into the city. Extravagant, luxurious, and exotic goods were now readily available, but women were unable to purchase them. The Oppian Laws did not apply to men, which made their enforcement detestable to most Roman women. In 195 BCE, the government considered repealing the laws, but one of the tribunes, Cato, spoke vehemently against their retraction. This infuriated Roman women and they took to the streets in protest. After two days of acting out for their rights as citizens of Rome, the tribunes caved in and the laws were repealed.
Another example of women in politics exists in the story of Hortensia.

She was the daughter of the orator Quintus Hortensius and lived during the final years of the Roman Republic. After the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, civil war broke out, causing a significant budget problem for the new triumvirate. In response to their need for money, the government decided to impose a tax on 1,400 wealthy Roman women. Hortensia would not stand for this. She gave a speech in the forum condemning the triumvirs for instituting a tax on these women who neither had representation in their government nor did they have any part in beginning the war. Her words and actions not only convinced the triumvirate to reduce the number of women taxed to 400, but they also included men in their new

legislation.
Many years later, during the height of the Roman empire, the wife of Septimius Severus, Julia Domna, wielded great power for an empress. She lived from 170 to 217 CE and was the mother to two emperors. During the reign of her husband, she provided him with political counsel and became one of his trusted advisors. It was not uncommon for her to join him on military campaigns. There were many Romans who felt she wielded far too much power for a woman, especially when her husband was away on imperial business. Rumors of treason and adultery often circulated while he was gone and grew stronger upon his return, but the two of them seemed to have had a happy marriage and none of those rumors were ever proven. After the death of Septimius Severus, Julia attempted to help her sons rule as co-emperors. This plan failed when her son Caracalla had his brother killed. Despite the strain this put on her relationship with her remaining son, she continued to travel with him on campaigns and provide him with political advice.
Little is known about the daily of lives of ancient Roman women beyond the mundane. The few existing records are typically of notable or wealthy women. Unfortunately, that means it is difficult to tell exactly how much of Roman law was strictly enforced and which parts were ignored. If Roman law were the only source of information regarding the status of women, it would be fair to assume that they were hardly in better social standing than women in most other parts of antiquity. They were unable to own property, although they were able to accrue wealth in some circumstances and portions of their finances were kept separate from their husband’s. In the event of divorce, they did not have the rights to their children. Unless they were widowed with a certain number of children, a number that varied depending on their social status, they were never able to be truly independent and were forced to remain under the care of a male family member.