WHAT WAS THE SITUATION OF ENSLAVED WOMEN IN ROME? - HISTORY - 2024

The situation of the enslaved women in Rome was very depressed both economically and socially, being part of them slaves. The society of ancient Rome was slave-owning, and in its social structure, slaves occupied the last link in the chain.

The social position of the householder indicated how many slaves he could have, or how many he could keep. Women, within this society, being a slave and "woman", knew how to perform tasks that male slaves could not do.

Work done by some of the enslaved women in Rome

The work of "obstetrix" or midwife and midwife was carried out by slaves and was also carried out by free women.

The wealthiest Roman families used to have one or more slave midwives. Another job was that of "nutrix" or nurse, who was in charge of feeding other people's children.

Other trades were the "sarcinatrix" or seamstress, the "quasillaria" or spinner, the "textricula" or weaver, the "lanipendia" or in charge of wool work, the "purpuraria" or in charge of dyeing the fabrics and the "uestifica ”Or dressmaker.

The wealthiest families in Rome could afford to have specialized slaves, such as the “pedisequa” that accompanied their mistresses both domestically and abroad.

The "flabellifera" fanned at all times when it was hot. The "ostiaria" or "cubicularia" was in charge of opening the door and receiving whoever came.

These trades allowed the enslaved women who performed them to enjoy a "certain respect."

How did the Romans get slaves?

The slaves of Ancient Rome came mostly from the conquests of the Empire. The army had the dual function of conquering and providing resources to Rome.

After a victory, the looting and the taking of hostages took place, which when they returned were sold at public auction.

The case of women was worse than that of men, since they had to show themselves naked before citizens with rights. It was a form of humiliation and submission to their new status as slaves.

Even the most valuable, possessing a trade or the most graceful, were sold at private auctions, under the supervision of prosecutors or "quaestors."

Most of them ended up doing housework. They were in charge of dressing their masters, or bathing them. They could not marry, and their masters could sexually abuse them.

The children of a slave, whoever the father of the child was, were considered slaves, and the property of the master. Therefore, he had the power to decide what to do with them.

What were the lupanares?

What deserves a separate paragraph is another of the trades, in which many women in Rome ended. Prostitution, which was a legal profession. The "prostitutes" had to register in a Municipal Registry.

Women who performed this trade had to dye their hair or wear a yellow wig, as a way to publicly identify and humiliate them.

32,000 prostitutes who worked in places called lupanares were registered. They also worked in places where sex was a complement such as in public baths, taverns or inns.

The lupanares were municipally licensed, and paid a tax rate, while other sites were not required to do so.

The prostitutes were divided into several categories:

-The prostitutes, who were registered in public lists

-The group that worked in brothels without registering

-The "delicitas", which were high class.

The latter had among their clients senators, merchants or high-ranking military personnel. It should be noted that among the prostitutes there were women who were not slaves. Many free women practiced the trade, some out of necessity and others for pleasure.

References

1. "Slavery in Ancient Rome" in Wikipedia. Retrieved in September 2017 from Wikipedia at: es.wikipedia.org
2. "Brothels of Rome" in Wikipedia. Retrieved in September 2017 from Wikipedia at: es.wikipedia.org/
3. "Women and work in ancient Rome" in Tempora Magazine of History. Recovered in September 2017 from Tempora Magazine at: temporamagazine.com
4. "Situation of enslaved women in Rome" in the Academy. Recovered in September 2017 from Academia at: academia.edu
5. «Tiles. Female slavery in ancient Rome: famulae, ancillae et seruae. Between the countryside and the city »in RTPA (November 2014). Recovered in September 2017 from RTPA at: rtpa.es
6. "The Roman Woman in Antiquity" in Slideshare. Recovered in September 2017 from Slideshare at: es.slideshare.net
7. "The daily life of slaves" in Hipernova. Recovered in September 2017 from Hipernova at: hipernova.cl
8. "The woman in Rome" in Classical Culture. Recovered in September 2017 from Classic Culture at: culturaclasica.com.