Download Roman and Celtic Women in the Ancient World

When a young woman
married in the early years
of the Roman Republic
she left her childhood
home and the authority of
her father and entered not
only the home of her husband but his power and
control as well. As
Rome’s empire grew and
more and more money poured in things began
to change. Any amendments to the law probably seemed quite insignificant at the time they
were made, but the reality of day to day life
gradually began to transform the way society
viewed women and the way they viewed themselves. By the end of the First Century women
had achieved a level of freedom they would
not see again in Western Society until the last
half of the Twentieth Century.
Outside of the lower classes women could not
work but they did not want to do so either. In
fact "work" was seen as something to be done
by slaves and low class people who did not
know any better. Nevertheless women were
demanding and getting greater freedom. Some
men objected, of course, but their cries of protest were in vain. Emperor Augustus introduced a series of laws to promote traditional
values but even he was unable to stem the tide
of progress.
School “Garabet Ibraileanu”
Tg Frumos, Romania
Roman and Celtic
Women in the Ancient
World
Project: Celtic roots, Roman routes
throughout Europe: meeting the first
Europeans
2010-2012
Roman Fashion
Our information on Roman
dress comes from art works such as
sculpture, painting, and tombstones,
from literary works and from
surviving clothing. Unfortunately
the little that has withstood the
ravages of time came from the outer
corners of the Empire such as
Egypt, Britain and France and may
or may not have been representative
of Rome or even Italy. When people
today have their portraits done they
usually chose to wear fairly dressy
clothing, perhaps wanting to look
their
best
for
succeeding
generations. In any event sculpture
and paintings were expensive and
only the wealthy could afford to be
memorialized in this way. It is hard
for us today to determine what
difference if any there was between
the ideal dress pictured in various
art forms and that which people of
all classes wore on a day to day
basis.
Celtic Women in the Ancient
World
Celtic women were distinct in the ancient world for the liberty and rights they enjoyed and the position they held in society.
Compared to their counterparts in Greek, Roman, and other ancient societies, they were allowed much freedom of activity and protection
under the law. The Iron Age Celts were nevertheless a patriarchal people and for the most
part men had the ultimate power in politics and
the home. Despite this, ancient Celtic women
remain an inspiring example of womanhood
from the past. Classical authors’ impressions
tell a great deal about how different Celtic
women were from the women with whom those
writers were familiar. Diodorus of Sicily describes Gaulish women as being “nearly as tall
as the men, whom they rival in courage”. Ammianus Marcellinus gives a more animated description: “…a whole band of foreigners will be
unable to cope with one [Gaul] in a fight, if he
calls in his wife, stronger than he by far and
with flashing eyes; least of all when she swells
her neck and gnashes her teeth, and poising her
huge white arms, begins to rain blows mingled
with kicks, like shots discharged by the twisted
cords of a catapult”. While overstated, the
words of Marcellinus conjure images of formidable women among the ancient Celts.
This project was financed with the help of European
Comission.
This publication shows only the author”s point of view and
the European Comission it is not responssible for the use
of the information contained.
Outstanding Roman Women
Fulvia Flacca Bambula (83 BC –
40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman
woman who lived during the Late
Roman Republic. Through her
marriage to three of the most promising
Roman men of her generation, Publius
Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribonius
Curio and Mark Antony, she gained
access to power.
Helena, also known as Helena of
Constantinople 246/50 – 18 August
330) was the consort of Emperor
Constantius, and the mother of
Emperor Constantine I.