What were the roles of ancient noblewomen in rome? back up with primary evidence...

Question

What were the roles of ancient noblewomen in rome? back up with primary evidence...

Answer 1

I don't have any primary evidence I am afraid, and as I don't read Latin I am unable to consult any primary sources.  However, i do have a couple of good books on women in the classical world which do quote primary sources in translation.

In Roman society, the Pater Familias (male head of the family) had absolute authority over all his family, wife, children, slaves.  In theory, he even had the right to put them to death, though in practice this seems to have been rarely if ever carried out.  When the head of the family died, any adult male children were automatically liberated from his authority, but under-age sons and daughters, even if adult, passed to the authority of the next Pater Familias.

Roman girls were usually married off quite young, in their early teens.  If the marriage was with manus, then the bride passed from her father's authority to that of her husband.  if it was without manus, then her father (or whoever the pater familias might be) remained her legal guardian and was the ultimate authority in her life.  Marriages without manus were often very convenient to the Roman wife, as it meant her husband did not have authority over her, and th eperson who did was living in another household at a distance, which gave her a good deal of freedom.

The emperor Augustus, concerned about the falling birthrate, passed legislation in the 1st century AD which said that if a free Roman woman bore three children, or a freedwoman bore four, they were exempt from male guardianship altogether.

Roman wives of good family were able to move freely in society and mingle with men, unlike Greek women who were expected to stay at home and spend a good deal of their time spinning and weaving, only going out to attend religious festivals.  Well-born roman women left the spinning and weaving to the slaves.

It was thought desirable that both parents should be well-educated, so noble roman girls were often educated at home by tutors, like their brothers were. Their education would end sooner than the boys though, as they were generally married in their early teens. Accomplished women were admired.  Pliny the Younger praised his wife for memorising his works, and for setting his verse to music.  

The amount of property a woman could inherit was restriced by law, but nevertheless some women did become wealthy landowners in their own right.  

Women had no part in political life, though in times of emergency they might find a voice.  For instance, in 215 BC  a law called the Oppian law was passed, after a disatrous war with Hannibal, limiting women's use of expensive goods.  The law said that no woman might own more than half an ounce of gold nor wear a multicoloured dress nor ride in a carriage in the city or ina town within a mile of it, unless there was a religious festival.

Twenty years later, the crisis having long since passed, a move was made to repeal the law.  many conservative politicians opposed to repeal of the law, and the women reacted vigorously.  Livy wrote:

"The matrons, whom neither counsel nor shame nor their husbands' orders could keep at home, blockaded every street in the city, and every entrance to the Forum.  As the men came down to the Forum, the matrons besought them to let them, too , have back the luxuries they had enjoyed before, giving as their reason that the republic was thriving and  that everyone's private wealth was increasing with every day.  This crowd of women was growing daily, for now they were even gathering from the towns and villages.  Before long they dared go up and solicit the consuls, praetors, and other magistrates," (LIvy, History of Rome)

In 42 BC, when the triumvirate (Octavian, Antony and Lepidus) ruled Romen, they proposed to tax the property of the 1,400 wealthiest women.  A woman called Hortensia made an impassioned speech against this move:

"Why should we pay taxes when we have no part in public office, or honours or commands or government in general, an evil you have fought over with such disastrous results?  Because you say this is a time of war?  And when have there not been wars?  And when have women paid taxes?  By nature of their s*x women are absolved from paying taxes among all mankind.   Our mothers on one occasion long ago wer superior to their s*x and paid taxes, when your government was threatened and the city itself, when the Carthaginians were pressuring you.  They gave willingly, n ot from their land or their fields or their dorwy or their hosueholds, but only from their own jewellery.  But if there should be a war against the Celts or parthians, we will not be less eager for our country's welfare than our mothers.   But we will never pay taxes for civil wars. We did not pay taxes to Caesar or to Pompey, nor did Marius ask us for contributions, nor Cinna nor Sulla, even though he was a tyrant over this country.  and you say you are re-establishing a republic!"

Answer 2

Primary evidence?  Good luck with that.

EDIT-Primary Evidence: facts and details that have been drawn from documents rather than from other, more recent, explanatory articles or books.

The main distinction is that primary materials are the documents or other non-text evidence (which can include newspapers, radio or TV programs, interviews, coins, etc.) that are produced at the time, rather than information produced by some other author's collection and explanation of them. (Also often referred to as "primary sources.")

Answer 3

Back up with primary evidence? This question sounds more like a high school ancient history assignment.

Here's my suggestion:

Research + Google = Your answer

Answer 4

They ran the household of the patriarch, since he often spent little time at home and was involved in political and civic duties which women were largely disenfranchised from