Women in Ancient Rome
Dive into the rich tapestry of women’s lives in ancient Rome with our comprehensive reading list.
From empresses and elite matrons to slaves and working-class women, this collection of scholarly works illuminates the diverse roles and experiences of women in Roman society. Explore the complexities of gender dynamics, marriage, family life, and female agency through the lens of historical texts, inscriptions, and archaeological evidence. Delve into groundbreaking studies that challenge traditional narratives and shed light on the often overlooked contributions of women to politics, religion, literature, and the economy. Whether you’re interested in the lives of influential figures like Livia and Agrippina or eager to uncover the everyday realities of Roman women across social strata, our reading list offers a nuanced and comprehensive exploration of this fascinating topic.
General
- Chrystal, P., Roman Women: the Women who Influenced the History of Rome, Oxford, 2015.
- D’Ambra, E., Roman Women, Cambridge, 2007.
- Fraschetti, A., Roman Women, Chicago, 2001.
- Richlin, A., Arguments with Silence: Writing the History of Roman Women, Ann Arbor, 2014.
Further Reading
- Dennison, M., Empress of Rome: the Life of Livia, London, 2011.
- Longfellow, B. & Swetnam-Burland, M., Women’s Lives, Women’s Voices: Roman Material Culture and Female Agency in the Bay of Naples, Austin, 2021.
- Osgood, J., Turia: a Roman Woman’s Civil War, Oxford, 2014.
- Panoussi, V., Brides, Mourners, Bacchae: Women’s Rituals in Roman Literature, Baltimore, 2019.
- Radicke, J., Roman Women’s Dress: Literary Sources, Terminology and Historical Development, Berlin, 2022.
- Rantala, J., Gender, Memory and Identity in the Roman World, Amsterdam, 2019.
- Roller, D.W., Cleopatra’s Daughter: and Other Royal Women of the Augustan Era, New York, 2018.
- Schultz, C.E., Fulvia: Playing for Power at the End of the Roman Republic, Oxford, 2021.
- Southon, E., Agrippina: the Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World, New York, 2019.
- Staples, A., From Good Goddess to Vestal Virgins: Sex and Category in Roman Religion, London, 1998.
- Tatarkiewicz, A., The ‘Cursus Laborum’ of Roman Women : Social and Medical Aspects of the Transition from Puberty to Motherhood, London, 2023.
