What are some major life events of an ancient roman women?

Question

what are some possible tomb inscriptions for ancient roman women? what are some religious and domestic roles of ancient roman women?

Answer 1

Orgies, incest and homosexuality.

Answer 2

Ms happy said it all, also maybe some were vestal virgins in the temple.

Others may have married important Romans.

Some were soothsayers, & foretold the future.  

Answer 3

Roman girls of the upper classes often received a good education, they would be educated at home by private tutors.  However, their education tended to end earlier than that of boys, as Roman girls tended to be married off quite young, in their early teens.  A Roman wife would be expected to manage the household and supervise the slaves, but unlike Greek women of the upper classes, who were expected to spend their time spinning and weaving at home, and only go out to religious festivals and possibly to the theatre (there seems to be some argument among historians as to whether or not Greek women went to the theatre), Roman women mixed freely in society.

In households that could not afford slaves, of course, the women would be very busy running their homes, spinning and weaving, cooking etc. Freedwomen might work at various occupations, like spinning and weaving, shopkeeping, innkeeping, as midwives, and in prostitution.

Tomb inscriptions often praise wives for being good managers of their homes, virtuous, chaste, etc.  These are some inscriptions:

'Here lies Amymone, wife of Marcus best and most beautiful, worker in wool, pious, chaste, thrifty, faithful, a stayer-at-home" (Rome 1st century)

"Sacred to the gods of the dead.  To Urbana my sweetest, chastest, and rarest wife.  Surely no one more distinguished ever existed.  She deserved honour also for this reason, that she lived every day of her life with the greatest kindness and the greatest simplicity, both in her conjugal love and the industry typical of her character.  I added this so that those who read may understand how much we loved one another.  Paterunus set this up in honour of his deserving wife." (urban housewife, Rome, 3rd century BC).

"She was courageous, chaste, resolute, honest, a trustworthy guardian.  Clean at home, also clean when she went out, famous among the populace.  She alone could confront whatever happened.  She would speak briefly and so was never reproached.  She was first to rise from the bed, and last to return to her bed to rest after she had put each thing in its place.  Her yarn never left her hands without good reason.  Out of respect she yielded place to all: her habits were healthy.  She was never self-satisifed, she never thought of herself as a free woman.

While she lived she so guided her two young lovers that they became like the xample of Pylades and Orestes - one house would hold them them both and one spirit.  But now that she is dead, they will sepearate, and each is growing old by himself.  Now instants damage what such a woman built up, look up at Troy, to see what a woman once did.

These verses for you your patron - whose tears never end - writes in tribute.  You are lost, but never will be taken from his heart.  After you no woman can seem good.  A man who ha slived without you has seen his own death while alive.  " (Allia Potestas, a freedwoman, mistress to two men,  late 34d-4th century AD).

"The tomb of Eucharis, freedwoman of Licinia, an unmarried girl who was educated and learned in every skill.  She lived 14 years.

  Ah, as you look with wandering eyes at the house of death, stay your foot and read what is inscribed here.  This is what a father's love gave his daughter, where the remains of her body lie gathered. 'Just as my life with it syoung skills and growing ytears brought me fame, the sad hour of death rushed on me and forbade me to draw another breath in life.  I was educated and taught as if by the muses' hands.  I adorned the nobility' festivals with my dancing, and first appeared before the common people in a Greek play.

  But now here in this tomb my enemies the Fates have placed my body's ashes.  The patrons of learning - devotion, passion, praise, honour - are silenced by my burnt corpse and by my death." (1st century BC).

Women's role as mothers was considered extremely important, the most admired woman in Roman times was Cornelia, mother of the Gracci, who was famous for saying, when asked why she wore no jewels, that her sons were her jewels.  The Emperor Augustus, worried about the falling birthrate, passed legislation in the 1st century BC exempting any free woman who bore three children, and any freedwoman who bore four, from male guardianship.

The most important women in religious life in ancient Rome were the Vestal Virgins, of whom there were only six at any one time.  They were chosen by lot from among free Roman girls whose names had been put forward by their fathers (since being a vestal virgin involved 30 years of celibacy, fathers were often reluctant to put their daughters' names forward.  They were chosen between the ages of six and ten years old.  They had certain rights and priviliges, and for instance were able to free a condemend criminal if they met him on his way to prison or execution.

Apart from the Vestal Virgins, the only women who administered a state cult were the priestesses of Ceres, the grain goddess. The cult of Ceres was exclusively in the hands of women.  The rites probably involved re-enacting the story of Ceres and her daughter Proserpina, but not much is known about them as they were private and exclusive to women.

Answer 4

I would suspect that they were much like the major events we women have today:You ask for tomb inscriptions and I naturally think of Pompey. There were plenty of pictures of simple day to day activities.Engagement, weddings, childbirth. As far as roles, their was a pretty well defined caste system. So women in the grander houses were responsibly for entertainment and maintenance of the family worship. Moth

Answer 5

Birth, marriage, childbirth, menopause, death.

Answer 6

A very common tombstone epitaph was "Sit tibi terra letria" . . . "Light lie the earth upon thee."