PR-2237IRE Ancient Rome

Roman Women
Young women had no say in selecting a husband. A girl was often married by the age of 13 or 14 and
her parents gave a dowry of money and goods to her future husband. If she became a widow, she
regained control of her dowry. Dowries were an expected custom but not legal requirements.
The position of women in society did improve after Augustus became the first Roman emperor in 27
BC and some educated women became teachers and doctors. During the Imperial age, the time of the emperors,
women could own land, run businesses, free slaves and make wills. These were privileges they didn’t have in
early Rome.
Wealthy women used ivory combs but the poor used combs made of wood or bone, mainly to remove hair lice.
The teeth in combs like those made from bone were cut with a very fine saw.
Olive oil was used in the preparation of soap, skin oils and perfumes. Perfume jars were ceramic, carved from
marble or made from blown glass. Some glass cosmetic jars had gold bands running through the lids, probably
floated in when the glass was in liquid form.
In the first and second centuries AD elaborate female hairstyles were very popular, with curls or plaits piled up
high on a wire framework. Wigs were sometimes made from the blond hair of northern European men captured
in battles with Roman legions.
Clothing for men and women did not change a lot over the centuries. Women in early Rome wore togas like
men, but in later times wore tunics and robes, as togas became associated with women of ill-repute. Children
usually wore small versions of adult clothing.
Mirrors were often made of polished metals like bronze or silver, as the use of reflective glass in mirrors had not
been invented.
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