Women in Ancient Rome | What was your role in society?

Before the 20th century, there was no question of telling history about the role of women in societies such as Ancient Rome. At we believe that this must change. Therefore, before asking what to see in Rome, let’s better discover the history of Rome. Tand we will tell the story of women in Ancient Rome, we will talk about the fundamental role they had and the great women who existed. Join us!

The importance of Women in Ancient Rome

The historical documents available to learn about Ancient Rome are wide and varied. The Roman era is a well-studied period within the field of history; feats and heroes have never been lacking, but… And the women of Ancient Rome? Where are they? Very little is known about them, their work, their thoughts and their discoveries. Today we will tell you that They did exist and that their role was very important for the development of this great civilization..

Silenced in historical studies, the women of Ancient Rome were not studied until the end of the 20th century. Women like Livia, Cornelia, Messalina or Julia Domna, are now reborn from oblivion to tell their story Are you ready to meet them?

Middle class women in Ancient Rome

In Roman antiquity, the role of women was strongly compromised in three aspects: the honorable woman, the matron and bearer of all the virtues of the home. Socially, women were obliged to form a home (whether they wanted to or not) because they were the ones who could provide the nation with men to fight.. Women of Ancient Rome belonging to the popular class married early, since their value was concentrated in their ability to start a family.

The purpose of marriage was solely to produce children. Consider that the infant mortality rate in Ancient Rome was surprisingly high, estimated to even be up to 75%. Women in Ancient Rome were almost perpetually pregnant. Still, a couple could end up without any surviving male children. As a remedy, the husband could adopt a male heir, it could even be an adult, adopted until after death, just mentioning the chosen one in his will.

Given how important it was to reproduce at that time, women’s childhood was quickly ending. The law decreed that they could marry at the age of 12., thus taking advantage of her most fertile years to exercise motherhood. Clearly, the message being sent to Roman girls was that of her own future and her role as a mother, the achievement for which Roman women were most valued.

On the other hand, there was the image of the harlot or prostitute woman (not because she was dedicated to these tasks) but because her full intention of not submitting to a man’s desires. They were given this name for their free decision not to follow the conventional lines that Roman society dictated to them. These types of women from Ancient Rome were not only frowned upon, They were disqualified and silenced before any type of social activity. They, however, had power over their lives, they did not respond to the voice of a man. These «independent» women achieved a degree of economic freedom and property management.

Lesser degree It is known that there were women in Ancient Rome dedicated to professions, such as seamstresses or artisans.these types of activities were also linked to less well-off classes and their recognition has not reached our days.

The role of the rich woman in Ancient Rome

Unlike the elite of the ancient Greek world, in which married women were considered tied to the home, in Rome, the wives of the political elite could be seen in public, if escorted. But there were limits: A Roman woman was not free to go out alone where she wanted or when she wanted.. Seeing the world was not an option, since respectable Roman women did not travel to distant lands either.

Despite all these impediments and their reproductive goals, they were important figures in politics, almost always behind the scenes. TOAlthough they could not run for political office themselves, they could—and did—play a role in influencing election results.. Wall paintings in Pompeii provide evidence that women urged support for certain candidates.

The wives of politicians, for their part, played a role similar to that of the wives of presidents, promoting a “family man” image of their husbands to the general public. Most Roman emperors broadcast idealized images of themselves with their wives, sisters, daughters, and mothers throughout the empire. The coins and sculptural portraits were designed to present the «first family» of Rome as a harmonious and united unit, no matter what the truth was, and women were an essential part of it.

Important women of Ancient Rome

Stories, myths, literature and art in general have created an image for us that the powerful women in history are not good, on the contrary they have adjectives like: manipulative, deceitful, cruel, capricious, heartless…Feminine “perversity” has a subtle halo of whispering lips and the smell of good perfume.

The women of Ancient Rome were real, some of them became very powerful. They were regents, empresses, queens, courtesans who made particular use of power.. Throughout the Roman Empire, certain women transcended their traditional domains of the home and family. They emerged for various reasons in the public space, they broke a traditional scheme. You could say they are a kind of femme fatale. We will tell you about the role of women in Ancient Rome through the most powerful in its history..

1. Julia Domna, the philosopher empress

We begin our list of powerful women of Ancient Rome, with Julia Domna. While there is no record of her education, it is speculated that she was exposed to many ideas from an early age due to the position of her father, which is why she is known as a respected philosopher of Antiquity.

This woman was the wife of the Roman general Lucius Septimius Severus, who a few years later became the emperor of Rome. With this, Julia became one of the most influential women of the Roman Empire and later glorified as a divinity. As empress, Julia was celebrated for her political, social, and philosophical influence. When her husband died, she was the first empress to receive the title of «Pia Felix Augusta», which is the title with the greatest power that any empress had ever enjoyed.

2. Cornelia, the great Roman matron

Daughter of a famous general called Publius Cornelius Scipio, she was born in 189 BC. C. within a wealthy family. Ella Cornelia married Tiberius Gracchus when she was 17 years old. This woman was recognized for being a cultured and intelligent woman from Ancient Rome., taught his children: Tiberius, Gaius and Sempronia the Hellenistic humanistic ideas that defended support for the popular classes. The role of this woman in Ancient Rome was fundamental to establishing a more just government.

3. Livia, the emperor’s right hand

With the arrival of Octavian to power, a turning point was marked in the Roman Empire. The era of diplomacy, negotiating skills and subtlety began. This was the dream for women in Ancient Rome, especially for a woman like Livia Drusilia: intelligent and tough as steel. Livia got Octavian to notice her.

She actively participated in politics, being considered Octavian’s right hand. now called Augustus; She was in charge of managing the finances and being the emperor’s advisor. If I had to cite one of the women of Ancient Rome for breaking mental patterns of her time, it would be Livia.

4. Agrippina, the story of an ambition

Agrippina fulfilled an essential role as a woman of Ancient Rome, she was one of those women who faced everything that life threw at her. She was banished by her brother, Emperor Caligula, and she had been forced to marry Dominicius Enobarbus, with whom she would have a son who later became Emperor of Rome: Nero.

The stories of their love relationships are chaotic, many of them were for the search for power. Agrippina ended up married to her uncle Claudius who was the emperor after the death of her brother. She convinced Claudius to adopt Nero and she succeeded. After the death of Claudius, Nero gained power; Agrippina used her son to control the empire. Finally her son, tired of her, ordered her to kill her.

5. Messalina and her free sexuality

Valeria Messalina was the third wife of Emperor Claudius, this woman from Ancient Rome She was famous for her beauty and for living her sexuality as she pleased.. Messalina had great political influence on the decisions her husband made while he was emperor. According to the image conveyed by ancient historians, Messalina always gave free rein to her sexual debauchery.

He met several lovers in the palace and forced women from prestigious families to prostitute themselves in front of their husbands in exchange for orders in the city. Some contemporary historians often claim that many of Messalina’s stories are exaggerated, because through this image, the ancients could discredit Claudius’ government. Although we will never know what really happened to Messalina, many They assure that their behavior is also due to control by power.

As you see, The women of Ancient Rome were important to the construction of morals, principles, laws and even the decision of who would become the next emperor. The role of women in Ancient Rome was transcendental for the Roman Empire to reign for so long. If you want to know more, we recommend reading the legend of Romulus and Remus.