The most powerful women in Ancient Rome

This was not common for Roman or Greek women of the time. Etruscan women had a lot of power. They could administer their own businesses, speak in public, inherit everything after their husbands died, and generally live on the same level as men. They are depicted wearing luxury and finesse, and their elegant appearance can be seen in the frescoes and statues dedicated to them. They could also be buried in their own tombs bearing their names and could afford to have slaves. They drank wine with their guests, sitting at tables filled with aristocrats. They could go and see all the shows at the theaters. In short, we can say that Etruscan society was a very advanced culture with a very open mindset toward women, just like in the modern world.

This was not the case with Greek women of the time, who were very submissive to their husbands and spent most of their time at home, taking care of their children. This was also exactly the situation for women during the Roman period, from the Republic to the Empire. Some Roman poets and historians shared their thoughts on this situation. Let’s start with Livy, the first historian to give us an insight into the role of Roman women. In his writings, he examines the past to help his contemporaries understand the present, particularly during the reign of Augustus. Livy’s portrayal of women reflects his ideas about their behavior and role in Roman society, often in contrast to the virtues of heroic men. He describes how women functioned within society and how they contributed to the larger moral framework of the time. One of the pressing concerns in Livy’s work is the impact of war. He discusses the wars against ancient Syria and Macedonia, as well as the conflicts that Rome faced during his own time. Through his analysis of both the past and the present, Livy links the roles of women to Rome's stability, its moral values, and its ability to endure the challenges of war.

On the other hand, from 215 BCE, Hannibal invaded Italy and inflicted a devastating defeat on Roman armies at the Battle of Cannae. So intense was the fighting during that war that there were not enough citizen-soldiers (cives) to fight, and the Romans had to recruit slaves into the army. Meanwhile, Cornelius Scipio, later known as Scipio Africanus, led a brilliant counteroffensive and won the war at the Battle of Zama. Later, in 215 BCE, a law was proclaimed, called the Lex Oppia, which put a limit on women’s possessions to 27 grams of gold and jewelry, while the rest had to go to the Roman State.

Those who know the history of fascism may recall that Mussolini enacted similar laws. Just as the Roman tribunes Valerius and Fondanus, who were once in power, decided that women could vote and wear any jewelry they wanted.

At the same time, however, Cato the Elder strongly opposed any law that would allow women to display luxury or wealth. He believed that women should only be able to expose any wealth when they were matronae, or married women. Matronae could not be stopped by men or praetorians. Women even protested against these laws, blocking all the entrances to the Roman Forum, protesting for their rights.

But for Publius Valerius Cato, this was inconceivable and unacceptable. He considered that women should be controlled by men. He thought that the only case in which women could have full Roman rights was if they were matronae and repeatedly argued that men could no longer properly care for their women, and now this was the consequence. Cato thought that women would always want more—they wouldn't be satisfied with just a ring, bracelet, or clothes. Eventually, their desire for luxury would lead them to make more demands and make their husbands poor.

However, this situation slowly began to evolve, and in some cases, women could inherit property when their husbands died, and they could even make a testament later. This was the case with Eumachia, a prominent woman in Pompeii (1st century CE) who had unusual wealth and influence in Roman society at the time. She made investments, and we can now see in Pompeii that she was the first woman to have her statue there, in the Forum. She also built a beautiful building there.

So, women’s conditions had definitely started to change. There was the case of another woman, Gavia Massima, connected with the construction of an aqueduct in Verona. Another woman convinced Caesar Augustus to stop forcing men and women to marry. But all women were still expected to have children and maintain their social status, devoting themselves to their families. However, the Roman aristocracy did not fully accept this expectation.

So, what happened at that time had already happened before, with women like Cornelia, daughter of Scipio Africanus and mother of the Gracchi, who was one of the most important women in Rome at the time and had a statue erected on her tomb.