CITE FROM TEXTBOOK – I ATTACHED THE TEXTBOOK THROUGH PDF.
Roman women, just like women in much of the ancient world, had an ambiguous status. While not citizens, they gave birth to citizens. Women from aristocratic families, furthermore, exercised significant power behind the scenes in such capacities as benefactors of cities and individuals (see, for example, the information on the Building of Eumachia at Pompeii below). Your task in this paper is to consider the many possible roles and portrayals of Roman women based on any THREE of the primary sources below (please note that while some of these primary sources are literary, others are artistic or archaeological). Compare your chosen three descriptions of women and how women’s roles appear to change in the Roman world over time. Note too that your paper ought to include material found in your embedded World History, Chapter 6 content.
1. The Building of Eumachia: https://sites.google.com/site/ad79eruption/pompeii/public-buildings/building-of-eumachia
2. Epitaph (tombstone inscription) in memory of a Roman wife:
“Stranger, my message is short. Stop and read it. This is the unlovely tomb of a lovely woman. Her parents gave her the name Claudia. She loved her husband with all her heart. She bore two children, one of whom she left on earth, the other beneath it. She had a pleasing way of talking and walking. She tended the house and worked wool. I have said my piece. Go your way.” (Corpus of Latin Inscriptions, CIL 6.15346)
3. Juvenal, Satire 6: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/juvenal6.asp
4. Martyrdom of the Saints Perpetua and Felicity: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/perpetua.asp
5. The love poems of Sulpicia: http://people.uncw.edu/deagona/lit/Sulpicia.pdf
In writing your paper, please respond to the following questions:
How do your selected sources portray Roman women? Do your selected sources seem to contradict each other, and/or in which areas do they agree? How would you explain any contradictions or agreements? Finally, what are your conclusions, based on your selected sources, on the place of women in Roman society?
Writing Guidelines:
Your completed assignment should be 3-4 pages in length (700-1000 words)
Your essay must be double-spaced, not single spaced.
You must write in complete sentences and paragraphs. Bullet points or lists will not be accepted. You will be graded on grammar, spelling, syntax, and capitalization.
Your essay should have a clear introduction and thesis statement which provides a clear answer to the question prompt you chose,
Make sure your essay also holds a methodology explaining what your sources are and why they were helpful to you.
Make sure your essay provides support for your perspectives and a conclusion. Separate your various sections using paragraph format.
Please cite your sources internally using Turabian parenthetical citations or Turabian footnotes, and include a complete Turabian format bibliography at the end of your paper. Every paragraph must have at least one citation since none of the content of your essay will be common knowledge.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENT on the syllabus for additional writing assignment criteria. Please keep in mind, however, that where syllabus instructions seem to disagree with the instructions for this specific paper, please follow the instructions for this paper included here.
Submit your citations and bibliography within your paper. Everything should be saved and submitted in one document.
