Rome’s Imperial Women and Rome’s Imperial Power

doi:10.1093/OSO/9780190455897.003.0002

Rome’s Imperial Women and Rome’s Imperial Power

Published Jul 22, 2021 · M. Boatwright

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Abstract

Livia’s involvement in the case of L. Piso against Urgulania opens this investigation into the powers imperial women were granted or thought to enjoy. Context is set by comparing women considered powerful in the Republic, foreign queens, and the few non-imperial elite women noted in Rome of the principate. Historiography reflects the customs and laws affecting Roman women generally, including prohibition from politics, the military, and legal advocacy for another; patria potestas; and tutela mulierum. Although imperial women usually controlled their own financial resources, such as brickyards, dwellings, and patronage, their self-restraint and modesty were ideals, as seen in the Senatus Consultum de Pisone patre. Octavia and Livia received special grants in 35 BCE; Livia, more honors in 9 BCE, and more in 14 CE, including the title Augusta. The chapter concludes that imperial women had no institutional powers after these early exceptional dispensations accorded to Octavia and Livia.

Study Snapshot

Key takeawayImperial women in Rome had no institutional powers after early special dispensations granted to Octavia and Livia.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

Rome’s Imperial Women and Rome’s Imperial Power

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