 Excluded from public lives except if they were priestesses

Katie

3/7/02

Burnett, G

Upper Class Women of Ancient Rome

Excluded from public lives except if they were priestesses
Their only political power was through their influence on the men in their families
If they weren’t married and under their husbands' (sine manu) control women could own property. They could also be the guardians of their children and, after having three children, could become independent
If she was married and under her husband's control (in manu) she did not have any of these rights
Many upper-class girls where taught by tutors that their parents hired
In some cases they were even thought to have gotten higher education
Women had more power in the empire than they did in the republic and though Augustus tried to take away some of these powers he was unable to
Women could be patrons of craftsmen and could participate in business
Through some loopholes in the laws some upper class women we able to gain large amounts of money

Bibliography

Adkins, Leslie & Roy A. Adkins. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
. Imperial Women Of Ancient Rome. Suzanne Cross, 2002. March 7, 2002.

Educating women of the middle and upper classes. Hilaree Lore. March 7, 2002. <http://info-center.ccit.arizona.edu/~ws/ws200/fall97/grp3/part2.htm>