MAKING HISTORY Roman lives – Roman women


In Roman society, a woman’s place was in the home. She was under the control of her husband. Her job was to have children who, among the rich, would inherit the property of the family. ● The ideal Roman woman was hard-working and obedient to her husband. The role of the mother was to pass on the same ideas to her daughters and younger women.


The main job of the mother was to run the household. In richer families, she gave orders to the slaves who did the work; the only traditional work that richer women did was spinning or weaving. Poorer women worked in the markets, the shops and the baths.


Daughters of richer families went to primary school where they learned to read and write using wooden tablets coated with wax. After primary school, the girls stayed at home to prepare for marriage.


Girls were allowed to marry at 12 years of age. They provided a dowry (marriage payment) for their new husbands. The dowry could be money or property. Since the dowry had to be returned in the case of a divorce, this gave women some influence over their husbands.


Roman women were encouraged to have large families because many children died at childbirth or at a young age. Childbirth was also dangerous for mothers, and many died in their thirties.


Analysing Sources – Frescoes


These frescoes from Pompeii illustrate some aspects of the lives of


Roman women. Frescoes are paintings done on damp or wet plaster.


What do the frescoes show you about the lives of Roman women? Sample Answers on Sources


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Are the frescoes primary or secondary sources? Why do historians consider this a primary source? Primary sources are sources that come from the time that is being studied, while secondary sources are sources that come from after the time that is being studied. These frescoes – paintings done on wet or damp plaster – are primary visual sources. They record life in Pompeii before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. They were painted at that time and they were covered by the volcanic ash. They show the life of women in Ancient Rome. They were discovered by archaeologists in recent years.


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