Women's Religious Activity in the Roman Republic

by Schultz, Celia E.

• ISBN13: 9780807830185
• ISBN10: 0807830186
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-05-23
• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr

Summary

Expanding the discussion of religious participation of women in ancient Rome, Celia E. Schultz demonstrates that in addition to observances of marriage, fertility, and childbirth, there were more--and more important--religious opportunities available to Roman women than are commonly considered. Based on research in ancient literature, inscriptions, and archaeological remains from the fifth to the first century B.C.E., Schultz's study shows that women honored gods unaffiliated with domestic matters, including Hercules and Jupiter; they took part in commercial, military, and political rites; they often worshipped alongside men; and they were not confined to the private sphere, the traditional domain of women. The Vestal Virgins did not stand alone but were instead the most prominent members of a group of women who held high-profile religious positions: priestesses of Ceres, Liber, and Venus; the flaminica Dialisand the regina sacrorum; other cult officials; and aristocratic matrons who often took leading roles in religious observances even though they were not priestesses. Schultz argues that women were vital participants--both professional and nonprofessional--in the religion of the Roman Republic and that social and marital status, in addition to gender, were important factors in determining their opportunities for religious participation in the public sphere.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Introduction	1	(18)
Literary Evidence	19	(28)
Women in the Epigraphic Record	47	(48)
The Evidence of Votive Deposits	95	(26)
Household Ritual	121	(18)
Social Status and Religious Participation	139	(12)
Conclusion	151	(2)
Notes	153	(52)
Works Cited	205	(20)
Concordance of Inscriptions	225	(4)
Index	229