Women in Ancient Rome

Мыслевцев А.С.

Women’s position in ancient Rome depended on freedom, citizenship, family and period. They did not vote in popular assemblies or hold ordinary elected magistracies, but participated in religious, economic and public life. They were not generally banned from all circus spectacles: seating and access rules differed between events.

Household authority and guardianship constrained women, but not every wife was legally subject to her husband. Marriage without transfer into manus preserved a different relationship to her birth family; women could own property and manage economic affairs. The ideal of a faithful, modest housewife expressed moral expectations rather than every Roman woman’s actual life.

The stola and palla, like the male toga, could signify status, but dress changed over time and was not uniform.

Fragment of the monumental wall painting from the Villa of the Mysteries near Pompeii, mid-1st century BCE. Second-Style figures form a continuous ritual and mythological frieze; the scene's precise interpretation remains debated.

Social status

Most women had fewer rights than men. The exception was Vestal Virgins, who had even more privileges than the noble men. This was a feature of the cult of Vesta, traditionally important for the Roman religion and state. In ancient Rome, there were women of the following social statuses: - Vestal Virgin - The Priestess - Matrona - An unmarried aristocrat - Commoner - Peregrina - Hetaera (Lupana) - Female gladiator - Slave girl

Bust of the goddess Hygiea. Marble. Rome,National Roman Museum,inv. no. 8588. Roman copy from a Greek work of the 4th century BC. The work was made in the 2nd century AD..

Fresco from the Villa of the Mysteries,Pompeii. 1st century AD

Polyhymnia. St. Petersburg,the Hermitage Museum. Inv. no. A. 381. Roman copy from a Greek work of the 4th century BC. The work was made in the 2nd century AD.

Women's clothing

Depending on your social status, the dress may vary, but most images, with the exception of gladiatrix, include the following items of clothing: - Palla - Tunic - Stola - Balteus - Socks - Subligaculum - Strophium - Sandals - Calcei - Wallet - Pouch Women liked to adorn themselves with jewelry, which in Ancient Rome was made very skillfully: - Rings - Necklaces - Earrings - Bracelets - Fibulae - Buttons - Hairpins - Tiara There was also a very intricate fashion for hairstyles, especially among rich women. For a reenactor, the most difficult thing to create an image is to recreate the drapery of a dress, which in Rome was folded from a thin fabric, hanging weights on the ends of clothes. Such weights can be seen on the statue of Concordia Augusta from Pompeii in the early 1st century AD.

Reconstruction

Before starting to collect a set of clothes, it is necessary to determine the reconstructed social status. In the Roman reconstruction, unlike many other eras, the image of a female gladiator is available, the equipment of which is discussed in detail in the section "gladiators". The image of a priestess, for example the cult of Isis, requires a special kind of tunic. The clothing of peregrines may contain elements characteristic of indigenous peoples. In the most common female images, the main differences will be in the presence or absence of a palla, a stola associated with respectable married women, the method of hair styling, jewelry and colors. Sew clothes for the chosen image should be made of fine wool or linen, for the reconstruction of very rich female images, you can use natural silk. The least expensive set of women's clothing suitable for novice reenactors is a long tunic with a belt and sandals, the image of a slave or commoner.