Two Women in Rome

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Livia, the wife of Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, had a tremendous influence on her husband: One near-contemporary account by Suetonius recounts that Augustus would compile careful lists of items on which he wanted his wife’s input—counsel that often overrided that of his advisors. Hallet, Judith (1984). Fathers and Daughters in Roman Society. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University. pp.8, 10.

Two Women in Rome Elizabeth Buchan | Two Women in Rome

During the civil wars that ended the Republic, Appian reports the heroism of wives who saved their husbands. An epitaph known as the Laudatio Turiae preserves a husband's eulogy for his wife, who during the civil war following the death of Julius Caesar endangered her own life and relinquished her jewelry to send support to her husband in exile. [126] Both survived the turbulence of the time to enjoy a long marriage. Porcia, the daughter of Cato the Younger and wife of Brutus the assassin, came to a less fortunate but (in the eyes of her time) heroic end: she killed herself as the Republic collapsed, just as her father did. The form of marriage known as manus was the norm in the early Republic, but became less frequent thereafter. [65] The bride's dowry, any inheritance rights transferred through her marriage, and any subsequently-acquired property belonged to her husband Husbands could divorce their wives on grounds of adultery, and a few cases of divorce on the grounds of a wife's infertility are recorded. [66] Manus marriage was an unequal relationship; it changed a woman’s intestate heirs from her siblings to her children, not because she was their mother but because her legal status was the same as that of a daughter to her husband. Under manus, women were expected to obey their husbands in almost all aspects of their lives. Janine Assa, The Great Roman Ladies (New York, 1960), p. 32; A History of Women in the West from Ancient Goddesses to Christian Saints, vol. 1, p. 115. She decides to investigate Nina Lawrence further and in doing so discovers a tragedy of love and passion set again the turmoil of Italy during the second world war, at a time when various political factions were pitted against each other, adding to the horror of war already well entrenched. As more comes to light on Nina’s career in espionage, the more Lottie learns about her husband Tom, his real life and previous marriage. Nobody and nothing is as it seems. How very Italian! Ariadne Staples, From Good Goddess to Vestal Virgins: Sex and Category in Roman Religion (Routledge, 1998), p. 184.Two Women in Rome is a wonderfully evocative story that takes the reader to the Rome both of the 1970s and the present day. Buchan’s elegant prose immerses the reader in a compelling story, beautifully written and with an evocative style full of love and mystery. Lottie Archer meets and marries Tom who lives and works in Rome. She is able to secure a job as chief archivist at Archivo Espatriati where one of her first tasks is to archive materials belonging to Nina Lawrence, murdered in Rome in 1978. Lottie gets drawn into Nina’s world with astonishing results. The story is told in two timelines in the late 1970’s and the present day. Larissa Bonfante, "Nursing Mothers in Classical Art," in Naked Truths: Women, Sexuality, and Gender in Classical Art and Archaeology (Routledge, 1997, 2000), pp. 174ff. J.A. Crook, Law and Life of Rome 90 B.C.-A.D. 212 (Cornell University Press, 1967, 1984), pp. 48–50.

Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan | Waterstones

The age of Augustus brought some of the most significant changes in the status of women. While unmarried women faced hefty penalties, and the laws punishing adulterous women were toughened, the Julian laws also allowed women who bore at least three children to win exemption from the guardianship of a man. This close dependence of women on their male relatives was also reflected in such matters as law and finance where women were legally obliged to have a nominated male family member act in their interests ( Tutela mulierum perpetua). The only exceptions to this arrangement were women with three children (from c. 17 BCE), freedwomen with four children, and Vestal Virgins. This rule was designed to keep property, especially inherited property, in the male-controlled family, even if male and female offspring had equal inheritance rights under Roman law. However, in actual practice families may not always have followed the letter of the law in this area, just as with many other matters, and there is evidence of women running their own financial affairs, owning businesses, running estates etc., especially in cases where the principal male of the family had died on military campaign. Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome, p. 136, based on Festus on the ordo sacerdotum (hierarchy of priests), 198 in the edition of Lindsay. Aristocratic women managed a large and complex household. Since wealthy couples often owned multiple homes and country estates with dozens or even hundreds of slaves -- some of whom were educated and highly skilled -- this could be the equivalent of running a small corporation. In addition to the sociopolitically important responsibilities of entertaining guests, clients, and visiting dignitaries from abroad, the husband held his morning business meetings ( salutatio) at home. [105] The home ( domus) was also the center of the family's social identity, with ancestral portraits displayed in the entrance hall ( atrium). Since the most ambitious aristocratic men were frequently away from home on military campaign or administrative duty in the provinces, sometimes for years at a time, the maintenance of the family's property and business decisions were often left to the wives. For instance, while Julius Caesar was away from Rome throughout the 50s BCE, his wife Calpurnia was responsible for taking care of his assets. When Ovid, regarded as Rome's greatest living poet, was exiled by Augustus in 8 CE, his wife exploited social connections and legal maneuvers to hold on to the family's property, on which their livelihood depended. [106] Ovid expresses his love and admiration for her lavishly in the poetry he wrote during his exile. [107] Frugality, parsimony, and austerity were characteristics of the virtuous matron. [108] Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted.

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Lottie Archer arrives in Rome excited to begin her new job as an archivist. When she discovers a valuable fifteenth-century painting, she is drawn to find out more about the woman who left it behind, Nina Lawrence.

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The Hippocratic view that amenorrhea was fatal became by Roman times a specific issue of infertility, and was recognized by most Roman medical writers as a likely result when women engage in intensive physical regimens for extended periods of time. Balancing food, exercise, and sexual activity came to be regarded as a choice that women might make. The observation that intensive training was likely to result in amenorrhea implies that there were women who engaged in such regimens. [184]

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Greenberg, Mike (28 June 2021). "Ceres: The Roman Goddess of Grain". MythologySource . Retrieved 5 August 2021.