Hidden Lives, Public Personae: Women and Civic Life in the Roman West

by Emily Hemelrijk

Overview

Roman cities have rarely been studied from the perspective of women, and studies of Roman women mainly focus on the city of Rome. Studying the civic participation of women in the towns of Italy outside Rome and in the numerous cities of the Latin-speaking provinces of the Roman Empire, this books offers a new view on Roman women and urban society in the Roman Principate. Drawing on epigraphy and archaeology, and to a lesser extent on legal and literary texts, women's civic roles as priestesses, benefactresses and patronesses or 'mothers' of cities and associations (collegia and the Augustales) are brought to the fore. In contrast to the city of Rome, which was dominated by the imperial family, wealthy women in the local Italian and provincial towns had ample opportunity to leave their mark on the city. Their motives to spend their money, time and energy for the benefit of their cities and the rewards their contributions earned them take centre stage. Assessing the meaning and significance of their contributions for themselves and their families and for the cities that enjoyed them, the book presents a new and detailed view of the role of women and gender in Roman urban life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190251888
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/30/2015
Pages:	650
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Emily A. Hemelrijk is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on Roman women. Her books include Matrona Docta: Educated Women in the Roman Élite from Cornelia to Julia Domna and the edited volumes Roman Rule and Civic Life: Local and Regional Perspectives, with Luuk de Ligt and H.W. Singor, and Women and the Roman City in the Latin West, with Greg Woolf.

Table of Contents

Contents

Preface
A Note on Translations
Abbreviations
Maps
Introduction
1. A World Full of Cities
2. Civic Priesthoods
3. Civic Benefactresses
4. Social Networks and Civic Associations
5. Civic Patronage and 'Motherhood' of Cities and Associations
6. Public Honour
Conclusions
Appendix: Tables to Chapters 2-6

Editorial Reviews

"Anyone engaged in research on the civic lives of women in the Roman West must consult this book, for it is the most comprehensive examination in this field of study and corrects certain misguided views on Roman women based mainly on literary sources." — Rachel Meyers (Iowa State University), T he Journal of Roman Studies Vol.107

"Hemelrijk's study helps to redefine both our notions of the roles of Roman women in their local communities and our perceptions of gender at work in the economic and political environments of Roman cities. This is a must read for classicists working on gender in the Roman empire, and especially for teachers of courses on women and gender in the Roman world." — Elizabeth F.Mazurek (University of Notre Dame), Phoenix: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada.

"The result is impressive: the sample alone of 1,400 published inscriptions, helpfully listed and ordered in a 225-page appendix, makes this an essential reference work for any researcher interested in the civic roles of Roman women. Further, Hemelrijk's decision to exclude evidence from Rome and imperial women, which often biases and dominates discussions of women's public roles, allows for a far fuller discussion of elite female commemoration and participation in the civic sphere...The quality of Hemelrijk's scholarship cannot be questioned... As Hemelrijk anticipates, the book is ideally used as a reference work to be dipped into by scholars and graduate students, depending on their interest. Each chapter stands alone well...the footnotes present a fantastic and generous resource to those wishing to investigate a topic further. There is no doubt that this book will provide the catalyst for much further research and discussion." —Helen Ackers, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

From the Publisher