Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
History
Date of Award
8-2002
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
William Douglas Burgess Jr.
Committee Members
Dale J. Schmitt, Jeff Gold
Abstract
This paper looks at the roles of patrician and plebeian Roman women in their religion. It investigates the topic during the period of the Republic (509-30 BCE) and pulls the information together in a concise manner.
The primary sources used were narrative histories and literature from the late Republic, as well as from the Imperial period up through the second century, that reflect the opinions of the Imperial period. The secondary sources precipitated further research into primary sources and comparisons of these studies.
It was found that women played private and secondary roles in their religion. Due to changes in the laws and in the society, women in the late Republic had more control over their own interests than did the women in the early Republic, although this control did not widely spread to their religious rituals. Public roles and power were basically limited to the Vestal Virgins.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Young, Lesa A., "The Roles of Patrician and Plebeian Women in Their Religion in the Republic of Rome." (2002). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 698. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/698
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.