Role and status that women played in ancient Rome concerning Agileia Prima

Introduction:

            The chosen object for doing analysis is Agileia Prima, who is basically from Rome and is present in the John Hopkins Archeological Museum. This object shows a written text which shows the role of women played in Rome. The written text is about the role of women as a wife concerning her husband. It is written on the text that the women were beyond eternity, which means that her role is reflected as a subordinate woman and has been valued by her husband. Another interpretation made by the given object is that the women is showing the sphere of religion. It can also reflect to the fact that women in ancient Rome are subordinate to man. The women of the Rome also beliefs in nature happening and does not find it appropriate to fear from death. The essay will focus on the cues about the women of Rome in accordance with the object. The object indicates the status and the role of women played in Rome in ancient times along with their religious beliefs and traditional practices. So, it will be including a detailed analysis of the role that women play in Rome concerning Agileia Prima. (Fischler, 1994)

Main body – analysis:

            In the ancient Roman time, most of the society was maledominated, and it is written in the text, “Wife beyond eternity; most chaste and modest and frugal who loved Her husband and his house and all his possessions innocently.” This statement reflects two sides of the Roman society which means that women in Rome are valued. On the other hand, it can also be interpreted that the society is mostly male dominated. Women of Rome value their husbands and spend most of the time with them while giving them all their love. They also value the way women love and spend time with their husbands. Roman society provides freedom to some of the women while for some women, the public freedom wasn’t present. But if we analyze the quoted text, it reflects that most of the women play their roles as housewives and only spend time with their husbands. They have nothing to with the public roles. They stay happy and satisfied along with their partners. (Fischler, 1994)

            The next cue finds out from the Agileia Prima that women of Rome are a sphere to the religious practices and want to live their life at the fullest. This also indicates that they were satisfied with their lives and accept every happening of the nature that is most probably to occur in future. The sphere to the religious practices also reflects that they follow traditions, and no matter what happen they want to be with their families. This was the traditional practice followed in Rome. The text quoted about this is, “Oppius, do not fear Lethe, for it is foolish to lose joy of life while fearing death at all time. For death is the nature, not the punishment of humanity; whoever happens to be born, therefore also faces to die.” This text was written on the object and reflected that women consider the law of nature happily and has an ideology that whoever happens to be born is supposed to face death as well. Also, they do have lively roles as women in the Rome. Their roles and responsibilities also affirm Roman women as a wife or as a daughter.(Flory and Marleen, 1993).

Furthermore, the have firm beliefs of the religious practices and the call of nature. They do not take death as a punishment. However, they accept it as it is absolute, and every individual must face death. This religious concern is also related to the traditional practices that were followed by the Roman woman. The societal status of Rome is that it is a patriarchal society where men have their roles in both public as well as private life. (Clark and Gillian, 2003). So, men are the ones who have more power in comparison to the women of Rome. Other than this, Rome males are dominated and are considered to as ahead of the family showing powers on their wives and children. But in the same way, these men also value their women as a sign of respect and values. Women were subordinate, and their roles were mostly associated with their societal values and concerns. (Walter Scheidel, 1995)

            The third cue that is finding out and reflected from the Agileia Prima that women in ancient Rome are highly supportive to their men. They wait for their husbands to come back from the battles safe and sound. It also reflects that fact that the Roman woman are loyal towards their husbands. They wait for their husbands to come back safe after going through the battle. Their husbands do not lament them, and their life satisfaction factor is high. It also reflects that they have adequate psychological wellbeing. The fact that women pray for the husbands and encourages them to perform well on the battle means that they are not allowed to a part of Roman battles, and they are just supposed to stay at home. It means that the public roles of these women are less, and they usually stay inside their homes. The text written on the object n reflection to this analysis and cue is,” Master Oppius, husband, do not lament me because I have preceded you, I await your arrival in the eternal marriage bed. Be well, my survivors, and all other men and women, be well.” Women of Rome have an extensive range of attributes in them which reflects the traditional as well as the religious values. They are highly supportive and encouraging towards their husbands. But they do not enjoy the equal legal and the public status, and they are considered less than that of the men. (Roger Brock, 1994). It means that women were the recessive part of the society while men were the dominated part of the society. However, they were valued by their husbands and had importance in private. But socioeconomic and the societal roles and responsibilities also depend here. Those women who have higher socioeconomic status enjoy additional roles as well. This was all about the analysis of the text that has been figured out on the object.

Conclusion:

            Women in the time of Rome follows both religious and the traditional practices and they do have all the roles and responsibilities in the private life rather than that of the public life. They do have an attribute of love and respect towards her husbands and stay dedicated to practice the private roles. The attributes that have been finding out in the Roman women are that they are highly encouraging and supportive at the time when their husbands go for the battle. These women pray for them to come back safe and sound and promises them to weight for them on their marriage bed. This means that are the sphere to the religious values as well. Their husbands also value Roman women. However, still this patriarchal society supports men to be dominated rather than that of the women who are subordinate part of the society. These women also believe in the call of nature and accept the nature’s absolute laws like death.

Reference:

Roger Brock, The Labour of Women in Classical Athens, Classical Quarterly 44 (1994), pp. 336–46.

Walter Scheidel, The Most Silent Women of Greece and Rome: Rural Labour and Womens Life in the Ancient World (i), Greece and Rome 42 (1995), pp. 202–17

Flory, Marleen B. “Livia and the History of Public Honorific Statues for Women in Rome.” Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974), vol. 123, 1993, pp. 287–308. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/284333. Accessed 19 Nov. 2020.

Clark, Gillian. “Silence and Women in ‘Greece & Rome.’” Greece & Rome, vol. 50, 2003, pp. 132–134. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3567840. Accessed 19 Nov. 2020.

Fischler, Susan. “Social Stereotypes and Historical Analysis: The Case of the Imperial Women at Rome.” SpringerLink, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 1 Jan. 1994, link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/9781349233366_7.

Schidel, Walter. “The Most Silent Women of Greece and Rome: Rural Labour and Womens Life in the Ancient World (I)1: Greece & Rome.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 7 Sept. 2009, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/greeceandrome/article/mostsilentwomenofgreeceandromerurallabourandwomenslifeintheancientworldi1/35E11CC73EA4C65C2A1A39F82A45CB6F.