What do you know about women in Pompeii? Recently, an archaeological display has shown the reality behind the women who lived in Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius. Roman history has always shown the role of men as emperors, soldiers and philosophers, but what about female figures? Now,according to ‘Muy Interesante’ (Very Interesting) magazine, we will have more information about women in Ancient Rome thanks to archaeological discoveries displayed in the exhibition.
It’s impossible to think women in Pompeii were just wives, mothers and victims. Don’t you think they might have had jobs, thoughts and a different way of life? Everybody knows about Ancient Rome men, look at the worldwide known Gladiator movies, they make a small reference to this time and men.
I’m sure this archaeological display called Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii will shine a light on the female Pompeii influence on society. So, let’s get into it.
Pompeii city
This city is considered of high importance because of a natural phenomenon. Pompeii was affected by the eruption of Vesuvius and it was completely buried in the year 79 A.D.
As any other city, Pompeii’s society was very active. From poor to wealthy people, they were just like us, playing board games of the time and walking on the street and even enjoying some kind of entertainment – fighting. Also, this city had different constructions like food stands, houses and thermopolia (what we now know as bars).
The ‘Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii’ exhibition
This eruption provoked a pause in the city and this was the reason why archaeologists could discover many things such as buildings, toys, jewelry, clothes, tools, etc. Thanks to the good conditions of the discoveries, an accurate picture of the role of women in Pompeii could be shown. It was time to explain something interesting about women of this period. I think there’s enough information about gladiators, soldiers, and emperors of Ancient Rome.
Are these discoveries the things you could find in the exhibition? That’s right, you will be able to see what objects people in the Pompeii city used in real life. You will be guided throughout an important period of time and the shocking history of this ancient city.
The display is divided into eight sections each about a different stage of women’s lives in Ancient Rome, from their childhood, passing through education, marriage and maternity; to their jobs, beliefs and death.
Let’s put names to important Ancient Rome women
This exhibition will tell you the stories of women who made an impression in Pompeii city. Some of the big names are: Asellina (owner of a thermopolia), Julia Felix (rented her house after the earthquake) and Eumachia (priestess).
It’s amazing the many roles women had at the time and we didn’t know about them. Since ancient times, women were innovating and building their own lives.
Importance of this exhibition
These types of exhibitions are important because they can show us new things we didn’t know about the past. Now, we know the reality behind these women in Ancient Rome, thank God.
Thanks to this display, we know women weren’t just shut up in their houses, some of them had a life to live beyond the role of mothers and wives. They were entrepreneurs and had their own business making an impact in Pompeii society.
Maybe if you go with young people in your family they can be inspired by these discoveries, or even yourself. We thought we knew everything about this time, but we never know when we will get new information about the past. How awesome is it to learn new things about what you were supposed to know?