THE WORLD OF WORK

Fresco from the caupona of Salvius (Pompeii, 1st century CE)

It is difficult to form a picture of the work Roman women did because Roman authors make few references to working women. Certainly then as now most women were involved in the important tasks of home-making: maintaining their home and goods, bearing and raising children, cooking, and making and caring for clothing and fabrics. While the wealthy had slaves to assist them, members of the lower classes often took paying jobs to support the family. Although elite women did less physical work than their plebeian sisters, they were expected to oversee large numbers of slaves, keep household records and materials, and assist their husbands in building political and social alliances through entertainment; they were also expected to supervise the early education of their children, even if they employed nurses and tutors. Inscriptions are a rich source of terms for women engaged in various occupations, eg., silk worker (sericaria), spinner (quasillaria), dyer of purple (purpuraria), seamstress (sarcinatrix), jeweler (gemmaria), pearl setter (margaritaria); gilder (brattiaria), workshop manager (officinatrix). For further information on work, see the Companion bibliography (particularly the studies by N. Kampen and S. Joshel) and Images of Work below.

IMAGES of WORK

Tomb of Naevoleia Tyche: a wealthy businesswoman, probably a freedwoman, she set up the tomb for herself, for her husband, C. Munatius Faustus, and for her freedmen and freedwomen. Pompeii, Street of Tombs. 1st century CE.

Elderly Nurse holding a child in painted terracotta. Greek. London, British Museum.

Female gladiator relief in marble shows two women in battle; at the top is an inscription in Greek commemorating their honorable release from the arena; at the bottom, their names: Amazon and Achillia. Roman from Halicarnassus, 1st-2nd century CE. London, British Museum.

Poultry shop: a relief showing two women in a shop with poultry for sale (cast). EUR (Rome), Civilta Museum.

Cushion and belt shop: women in a relief of the Augustan age (cast). EUR (Rome), Civilta Museum. (Florence, Uffizi).

Cloth shop: women in a relief of the Augustan age (cast). EUR (Rome), Civilta Museum. (Florence, Uffizi).

Tavern scene serving woman in one of a series of frescoes from the shop of Salvius. Pompeii, 1st century CE.

Fuller shop: replica of a wall painting from the workshop of Verecundus showing bleaching and carding of clothing. EUR (Rome), Civilta Museum, first century CE.

Model of shops: detail of model of quay in Roman London of c. 100 CE showing workshop/shops below and living quarters above. London, Museum of London.

Model of tavern and food shop: detail of model of quay in Roman London of c. 100 CE showing shops below and living quarters above. London, Museum of London.

Bronze stamp (signaculum) of a female importer of wine and oil. The image is reversed so it can be read; tiny amphorae separate the words. Inscription: "[belonging to] Coelia Mascellina, daughter of Gnaeus." Another inscription bearing her name was found in Rome: "Coelia Mascellina, a woman of incomparable chastity, a businesswoman importing oil and wine from Baetica [Spain], made this for her father Gnaeus Coelius Masculus and for her most devoted parents" (AE 1973, 71). Rome, 2nd half 2nd century CE.

All images are courtesy of the VRoma Project's Image Archive.