CLA /GWS 206: Women in the Ancient World Religion Work Power Plan for Today • Women and Religion • The Vestal Virgins • The Bacchanalian Affair • Freewomen, Freedwomen, Slave women • Women and Power • Sallust on Sempronia • Cicero on Clodia • Plutarch on Cleopatra Roman, 1-75 CE. Malibu, Getty Villa. TIMELINE OF CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY Greece ANCIEN LATE BRONZE AGE IRON AGE ARCHAIC CLASSICAL HELLENISTIC ROMAN T 1200 BCE 700 BCE 480 BCE 323 BCE 31 BCE 330 CE ANCIEN LATE BRONZE AGE Rome T 1650 – 1200 BCE MONARCHY REPUBLIC EMPIRE EARLY IRON AGE 1100 – 700 BCE 510 BCE 27 BCE 476 CE ARCHAIC PERIOD MONARCHY 700 – 500 BCE 753 - 510 BCE CLASSICAL PERIOD REPUBLIC 500 – 323 BCE 510-27 BCE HELLENISTIC PERIOD EMPIRE 323 – 31 BCE 27 BCE– 476 CE ROMAN PERIOD 31 BCE – 330 CE Roman Expansion Vestal Virgins • Six priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth • Founded by Numa Pompilius (r. 717-673 BCE); disbanded in 394 CE by Emperor Theodosius I • Chosen as children (ages 6-10) from a lot of 20 high-born candidates • Duties • Responsible for the continued existence and safety of Rome; pax deorum • Responsible for the city’s central hearth fire, sacred fire of Vesta • Cleansing of the temple, June 5-15 • Safeguard wills, state documents, and sacred objects (Palladium) • Special privileges • Make their own wills, dispose of own property w/o consent of guardian, not subject to patria potestas • Public appearances, special seating, and lictors; pardon prisoners en route to execution; person was sacrosanct Vestal Virgins: Punishment for incestum (inchastity) (10.5) Here they prepare a small room, with an entrance from above. In it there is a bed with a cover, a lighted lamp, and some of the basic necessities of life, such as bread, water in a bucket, milk, oil, because they consider it impious to allow a body that is consecrated to the most holy rites to die of starvation. They put the woman who is being punished on a litter, which they cover over from outside and bind down with straps, so that not even her voice can be heard, and they take her through the Forum. Everyone there stands aside silently and follows the litter without a word, in serious dejection. There is no other sight so terrifying, (10.7) and the city finds no day more distasteful than that day. When the litter is borne to the special place, the attendants unfasten her chains and the chief priest says certain secret prayers and lifts his hands to the gods in prayer because he is required to carry out the execution, and he leads the victim out veiled and settles her on the ladder that carries her down to the room. Then he, along with the other priests, turns away. The ladder is removed from the entrance and a great pile of earth is placed over the room to hide it, so that the place is on a level with the rest of the mound. That is how those who abandon their sacred virginity are punished. (Plutarch, Life of Numa 10) Notable Vestal Virgins • Rhea Silvia • Tarpeia (?) • Oppia (483 BCE) • War with Veii and Volsci • Postumia (420 BCE) • Conflict of Orders • Opimia and Floronia (216 BCE) • Second Punic War and the Battle of Cannae • Quinta Claudia (?) (204 BCE) • Second Punic War; Magna Mater Vestal Virgins In the same year, the Vestal virgin Postumia, although innocent of the crime, was accused of inchastity, coming under suspicion because of her too elegant dress and a manner freer than was suitable for a virgin. After she had been remanded and then acquitted, the Pontifex Maximus, on behalf of the whole college, ordered her to abstain from joking and to practice holiness rather than elegance in her appearance. (Livy 4.44) [420 BCE] Notable Vestal Virgins • Rhea Silvia • Tarpeia (?) • Oppia (483 BCE) • Postumia (420 BCE) • Opimia and Floronia (216 BCE) • Quinta Claudia (?) (204 BCE) • Second Punic War; Magna Mater Bacchanalian Affair, 186 BCE At first they were confined to women; no male was admitted, and they had three stated days in the year on which persons were initiated during the daytime, and matrons were chosen to act as priestesses. Paculla Annia, a Campanian, when she was priestess, made a complete change, as though by divine monition, for she was the first to admit men, and she initiated her own sons, Minius Cerinnius and Herennius Cerinnius. At the same time she made the rite a nocturnal one, and instead of three days in the year celebrated it five times a month. When once the mysteries had assumed this promiscuous character, and men were mingled with women with all the license of nocturnal orgies, there was no crime, no deed of shame, wanting. More uncleanness was wrought by men with men than with women. Whoever would not submit to defilement, or shrank from violating others, was sacrificed as a victim. To regard nothing as impious or criminal was the very sum of their religion. The men, as though seized with madness and with frenzied distortions of their bodies, shrieked out prophecies; the matrons, dressed as Bacchae, their hair dishevelled, rushed down to the Tiber with burning torches, plunged them into the water, and drew them out again, the flame undiminished, as they were made of sulphur mixed with lime....They formed an immense multitude, almost equal to the population of Rome; amongst them were members of noble families both men and women. It had been made a rule for the last two years that no one more than twenty years old should be initiated; they captured those to be deceived and polluted. (Livy 39.13) Bacchanalian Affair, 186 BCE • Livy • Duronia, mother of Publius Aebutius • Hispala Faecenia, freedwoman, sex-worker, lover of Aebutius • 7,000 men and women implicated • men punished by the State • women punished by families • for Livy, a story of the declining morals of Rome Class & Work • Elite women • supervise house (domus) and familia, keep household records, assist in political and social alliances • Composition of Working-Class Pudicitia pose of elite • freeborn: born of two free parents matrona and so a citizen by birth Late Republic • freed: originally born into slavery or enslaved; becomes a citizen upon manumission but can’t hold office (men) • slave: may live and work together with free and freed persons Class & Work • Elite women Cornelia took over the children and the household, and proved herself so sensible and • supervise house (domus) and motherly and generous that it seemed that familia, keep household records, Tiberius had made a good decision when he assist in political and social chose to die on behalf of such a woman. When alliances Ptolemy offered to share his kingdom with her and proposed marriage, Cornelia refused. She • Composition of Working-Class remained a widow...After they (Tiberius and • freeborn: born of two free parents Gaius) were born she raised them in such a laudable manner that, although they were and so a citizen by birth generally agreed to be the most naturally gifted • freed: originally born into slavery of all Romans, their virtue was regarded as or enslaved; becomes a citizen having come from their education rather than upon manumission but can’t hold their birth. office (men) (Plutarch, Life of Tiberius Gracchus 1.2-2; WLGR • slave: may live and work together #62) with free and freed persons Class & Work • Elite women Whenever Aemilia had left her house to take part in women’s processions, it had been her • supervise house (domus) and habit to appear in great state, as befitted a familia, keep household records, woman who had shared the life of the great assist in political and social Africanus when he was at the height of his alliances success. Apart from the magnificence of her personal attire and decorations of her carriage, • Composition of Working-Class all the baskets, cups, and sacrificial vessels or • freeborn: born of two free parents utensils were made of gold or silver and were carried in her train on such ceremonial and so a citizen by birth occasions, while the retinue of maids and men— • freed: originally born into slavery servants who accompanied her was or enslaved; becomes a citizen proportionately large. upon manumission but can’t hold (Polybius 25) office (men) • slave: may live and work together with free and freed persons Class & Work • Elite women • supervise house (domus) and familia, keep household records, assist in political and social alliances Elderly street vendor 1st c CE • Composition of Working-Class • freeborn: born of two free parents and so a citizen by birth • freed: originally born into slavery or enslaved; becomes a citizen upon manumission but can’t hold office (men) Advertisement for • slave: may live and work together entertainment, with free and freed persons Serving woman, 1st c CE 1st c CE Aurelia Nais, a fishmonger, early 2nd c CE, WLGR 419 Naevoleia Tyche, Class & Work a wealthy business woman in Pompeii 1st c CE, WLGR 347 • Elite women • supervise house (domus) and familia, keep household records, assist in political and social Gaavia Philumina, alliances a business woman on the Aventine Hill, 1st c BCE • Composition of Working-Class WLGR 348 • freeborn: born of two free parents and so a citizen by birth Sellia Epyre, seller of gold- • freed: originally born into slavery decorated or enslaved; becomes a citizen luxury clothes, 1st c CE upon manumission but can’t hold WLGR 402 office (men) Clodii, family who practiced medicine, • slave: may live and work together 1st c BCE with free and freed persons Gnome, hairdresser, 1st c CE Class & Work WLGR 419 • Elite women • supervise house (domus) and familia, keep household records, Urbana, pedagogue.