upbringing and education of Roman girls

• paterfamilias


  male head of a roman family. would decide whether to keep a child or expose it. Greek equivalent of Greek Kyrios
• patria potestas


  power/authority held by the paterfamilias over the members of the household
• bulla


  seen as a lucky charm; given to a child as a gift at their naming ceremony and worn throughout childhood . Girls gave it up on their wedding
• fresco


  a painting done on damp plaster- the colours became fixed as the plater dried. These wall paintings almost became part of the wall
• Juno


  goddess of marriage & queen of the gods. Families put out a couch for her so she could watch over their daughter for the first days
• Maesia


  Roman woman famous for having successfully defending herself in the law courts. found not guilty by large majority, suggesting she was well educated in Rhetoric. Nicknamed "Androgyne" for her masculine traits.
• exposure of a baby

  -a midwife would check for deformities and leave it at the paterfamilas' feet

  -if he picked it up and lifted it into the air, then it had been formally accepted into the family

  -if he did not, then the baby was given to the slaves or midwife to expose
• who was most likely to get exposed and why

  girls due to similar reasons to Athens- financial drain on their household due to them not being able to work and due to the dowry
• baby girl being welcomed by the paterfamilias

  -family would put out a couch for juno

  -idea was that this couch invited the goddess into the house and she would watch over the baby in is first days when it was weakest
• the 8th day


  -the family held a naming ceremony.

  -Girls were named a feminine version of their father's name

  -if a couple had multiple daughters, they would get the same name
• the naming ceremony


  -family would make offerings to the gods in ther home and give a party for friends and relatives.

  -baby would be given gifts including bulla to ward off evil.

  -bulla would be worn throughout childhood and only given up when they entered adulthood - wedding day
• how would a young Roman girl spend her time

  -in the home cared or by their mothers/household slaves

  -common for them to be taught reading, writing and arithmetic from a litterator.

  -wealthy families may send a slave (usually greek) to assist with lessons and report back to paterfamilias
• education for poor children

  -if money was too tight, a son would be educated rather than a daughter

  -in addition to their basic literacy and numeracy skills, daughters would have learnt domestic tasks - spinning wool, weaving textiles, cooking and managing the house

  -she would often learn trade to earn money

  -some roman girls worked as hairdressers, jewellery makes and bakers
• advanced subjects (history, geometry, music, philosophy, law and rhetoric)

  -were usually only taught to boys

  -some roman women were accomplished in these tasks, such as Maesia

  -Maesia successfully defended herself in court, and as many lawyers would have been studying rhetoric for years, it is likely Maesia was educated

  -Maesia was nicknamed 'Androgyne' because she was thought to have the spirit of a man, so this was not common and she was an exception
• Sappho


  -fresco of an educated upper class Pompeian woman

  -Date: mid 1st Century AD

  -Location: Pompeii

  -Current location: National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Italy

  -Significance: Remarkably well preserved painting from Pompeii
• Further notes 'Sappho'


  -Probably educated as she has a stylus to her lips and wax tablet/book in her hand

  -Can assume she's wealthy as she's wearing gold earrings and a golden hairnet and the fresco was found in a large villa

  
• Roman writing equipment


  wax tablet- boards with a frame, covered with hard wax and strung together to form a book

  stylus- used to write on wax- pointy end to engrave letters and flat to erase mistakes

  papyrus- early form of paper but expensive so rarely used. Likely to be in scrolls and written on using wax