1. Roman Women
The matrona

5. Wifey Connubium or marriage was very important to Rome
A happily married husband and wife were supposed to share an eternal bond.
Women were supposed to be chaste and to be virgins when they married soon after puberty.
There were few options for a woman apart from marriage.

7. Epitaph from Roman Italy – late 2nd century BC
Stranger, my message is short. Stop and read it. This is the unlovely tomb of a lovely woman. Her parents gave her the name Claudia. She loved her husband with all her heart. She bore two children, one of whom she left on earth, the other beneath it. She had a pleasing way of talking and walking. She tended the house and worked wool. I have said my piece. Go your way.'

8. feminine virtues mentioned in the epitaph
affection.
good housewifery.
chastity.
Wool work was very much a symbol of a good woman.

10. Companion
A woman would share in her husband’s authority over the household and stand in for him when he wasn’t there.
Accounts
Authority over children and slaves
A woman would accompany her husband to dinner parties and recline next to him.
Much more freedom than a Greek woman, who was expected to stay at home.

11. Terentius Neo and his wife –bakers in 1st century Pompeii

12. Work in the family business
Women at Work
Work within the home.
Work in the family business
Disreputable jobs: barmaid, actress or prostitute
Work for wages – nursemaid, domestic service
Clothworkers in Pompeii

14. Task:
Using the information in the Powerpoint and page of the textbook,
write about the role of the Roman woman.
1) how was she expected to behave?
2) what were her responsiblities?
3) would the life of a Roman woman be a pleasant one? (Think what factors might affect this).