WOMEN, CHILDREN, SLAVES in the Roman Empire Kyndal Goodwin – B2

WOMENWOMEN

- Left under the care of a man (Father, then husband) - After Augustus – 4 children = free woman - Primary education (daughters of Aristocratic families continue) - Taught Greek and Latin literature -Learned to play music, dance, sing - Not to drink wine, but grape juice Daily Life

Marriage - arranged - flirting, or being in contact with other boys seen as a breech in marriage arrangements - gained considerable freedom - husband's companion and helper - shared his authority over the children, slaves and the household - could receive visitors, leave the house, visit other households, or go shopping

Oppian Law - brought in after the defeat by Hannibal at Cannae in 216 BC - no women could possess more than half an ounce of gold, wear a dress dyed in a variety of colors, or ride in a horse-drawn carriage in a city or town except on holy days. - felt that men's personal fortunes were increasing daily, they should be restored to their former splendors - number of protesting women increased daily - they came in from the town and outlying districts - interrogated consuls, praetors and other officials - law repealed 20 years later

CHILDREN - Newborns laid at its father's feet if the father picked the baby up it would live, but if he ignored the baby it would be taken away to die - Father had the legal right to disown his children, sell them into slavery or even kill them - Around 25 percent of babies in the first century AD did not survive their first year - Half of all children died before age 10

-First 8 days of a baby's life there were various religious ceremonies -The day of naming was usually called dies lustricus (day of purification) - Played many games - Moral teaching came mostly from the mother - Most important virtues for a child to acquire were: -reverence for the gods -respect for the law -unquestioning and instant obedience to authority -truthfulness -self-reliance

Until the age 7, boys and girls were taught by their mother to speak Latin and do elementary reading, writing and arithmetic. At seven a boy went on to a regular teacher and a girl remained her mother's constant companion. Girls: A girl's formal education was cut short because a she married early and there was much to learn about home management. Girls learned to spin, weave and sew from their mothers. Boys: Boys were trained by their fathers. If his father was a farmer, he learned to plow, plant and reap. If the father was a man of high position in Rome, his son stood beside him in the atrium when callers were received, to gain some knowledge of politics and state affairs. The father trained the son in the use of weapons in military exercises, as well as in riding, swimming, wrestling, and boxing.

BOYS: A boy's “coming-of-age” ceremony began when the boy laid his bulla and bordered toga before the lares of the house in the early morning. A sacrifice was offered. The bulla was hung up and the boy dressed himself in a white tunic, adjusted by his father. When the boy was ready, the procession to the Forum began. The father gathered his slaves, freedmen, clients, relatives and friends, using all his influence to make his son's escort numerous and imposing. Here the boy's name was added to the list of citizens. Then the family climbed up to the temple of Liber on the Capitoline Hill, where an offering was made to the god. Finally they all returned to the house, where the day ended with a dinner party given by the father in honor of the new Roman citizen.

SLAVESSLAVES

Ways to become a slave: -They could not pay back the money they had borrowed. - The government would take people into slavery if they could not pay their taxes. - Some poor people would sell their children as slaves to richer neighbors.

- The demand for slaves in Rome grew rapidly. As more and more men were now needed for the army in order to extend and maintain the Empire, there were fewer men available to work the fields. - Rich families would also use slaves as bodyguards, cooks, waiters, doormen, cleaners, gardeners, hairdressers, dressmakers and maids. Rich Romans were usually large landowners so they also had slaves working on their farms. It was common practice to have them in work-teams of ten slaves. Branded on the forehead, chained together and guarded by a foreman carrying a whip, there was little chance of escape.