Heroines of Ancient Rome

Jackie Giammattteo

Timeline

753 B.C –

Founding of Rome

by Romulus

and Remus

509 B.C – Roman Republic

is establish

ed

27 A.D - Octavian (Augustus) takes power as the first emperor

Roman empire continues until its fall in 476 A.D

Women’s Role in Ancient Rome

Women had no legal freedom in Ancient Rome

A Roman women was under the control of a male figure her entire life

Women could not hold the position of general, consul, or senator

Could not vote or own any land

Some Left Marks on History

With their restricted roles in public life, it was hard for women to make an impact on society…But some did

Lucretia, Cloelia, and Verginia

These women were all considered heroines of the early Roman Republic

Their actions influenced and inspired women for generations to come

Cloelia

Lucretia

Verginia

The Story of Lucretia

During the Reign of the tyrant kings ruling Rome, several young military leaders met for a dinner gathering

Each man began to boast about how great his wife was

All the men decided to ride back to their homes to secretly observe their wives to see who’s wife was acting most virtuous

LucretiaAll were surprised to find their wives preparing for lavish dinner parties and spending time with friends

The wife of Tarquinius Conlatinus stood out, Lucretia

Lucretia was home spinning wool with her maids

The men were all impressed by Lucretia’s innocence and honor and awarded Tarquinius Conlatinus as winner.

Trouble

Among the group of men was the son of the tyrant king at the time (Lucius Tarquinius Superbus ), Sextus Tarquinius

Sextus was overcome with jealousy, desire, and ambition to challenge Lucretia’s purity

A few nights later Sextus entered the house of Lucretia to rape her

Sextus told Lucretia if she were to scream for help, he would kill both her and a slave, and put them both in her bed making it look as if she had committed adultery

Lucretia relented and Sextus raped her

Dishonor

After Sextus left Lucretia, with shame, called to see her husband and father and tearfully explained what happened

She explained that her body was now soiled

Choosing death over dishonor, Lucretia plunged a knife into her heart

“No woman shall use Lucretia as her

example in dishonor.”

March to Rome

Lucretia’s husband and father were outraged

They declared that the king and his family had committed far too many crimes and the monarchy had to end

They began to march to Rome where they were joined by others who were horrified by Lucretia’s rape and death

Many had also suffered under the king for long enough and joined the cause

Expel of the Kings

The public succeeded in overthrowing the king and his family

This ended the reign of kings in Rome and began the Republic

The Roman Republic

The republic was established in 509 B.C

Rome was still very small and was completely surrounded by enemies

It wasn’t long until Rome was attacked and put under siege by the Etruscan king of Clusium, Lars Porsena.

After almost being assassinated by a Roman, in fear that it might happen again, Porsena made a peace proposal to the Romans

The ProposalThe Proposal stated that he would give Janiculum back to the Romans, if they would give the Etruscans some young Roman hostages

Cloelia

Rome agreed to this and sent over some hostages

Among the hostages was a teenage girl named Cloeli

The Escape

One night Cloelia escaped

Unseen by the guards, she led several other girls out as well

She led them across the Tiber river while being showered with Javelins and arrows by the realizing guards

She managed to get every single girl home safely

Bravery

When the news reached the king that Cloelia had escaped and taken other girls with her, he was outraged

He demanded her back threatening to renew war with the Romans

Cloelia, bravely agreed to return back to Clusium if it meant keeping the peace in her homeland of Rome

Upon return to the king, his anger soon turned into admiration for the young girl’s courage and let her return safely to Rome again

HeroWhen Cloelia returned to Rome she became an instant hero for her courage and willingness to risk her life for the sake of keeping peace in Rome

She was rewarded with an equestrian statue on the highest point of the Sacred Way

The Decemvirate

Once the monarchy was overthrown, Rome was ruled by two men called consuls and the senate

In 451 B.C a group of ten men, called the Decemvirate, were appointed to draw up the laws of the state that would clearly define the rights of both plebeians and patricians.

Overtime the rule of the Decemvirate became increasable violent

Verginia

One member to the Decemvirate was Appius Claudius

Appius began to lust over a beautiful girl named Verginia

Verginia, being engaged, rejected him the several times he tried to seduce her

So Appius Claudius came up with a plan

The Plan

Appius was going to have one of his clients take Verginia while she was on her way to school

The client would then take her to court claiming that Verginia was actually his slave who was stolen from him when she was a baby

Appius, being the Judge of Civil Disputes would rule that the girl must be returned to her “former owner” (essentially just given to Appius)

Verginius

Before Appius could rule that Verginia must go back to the custody of her former owner, the case was delayed so Verginia’s father, Verginius could return from war and defend his daughter

He fled back to Rome to support his daughter’s freedom gathering supporters on the way

Verginia’s Murder

Once Verginia arrived to defend his daughter, Appius immediately silenced him and ruled custody of Verginia to his client

Shocked, Verginius begged to talk to his daughter alone

Before Appius could stop him, Verginius stabbed his daughter knowing it was the only way to secure her freedom

Verginius was immediately arrested, but his supporters gathered to attack Appius Claudius

Overthrow of the Decemvirate and re-establishment of the

Roman RepublicThis act of corruption led to the overthrow of the Decemvirate

They had already been abusing their power for years and their power seemed to be getting to the level of the kings which had been overthrown many years before

Verginia’s death sparked the uprising which led to the re-establishment of the Roman republic

Lasting Influence

In a nation dominated by men, Lucretia, Cloelia, and Verginia all stood out as Heroines

Lucretia sacrificed herself in order to uphold the traditional values of Roman women, which sparked an overthrowing of the tyrant kings

Cloelia’s courage protected the peace in Rome during the republic

Verginia’s death kept the republic from turning into a monarchy again

Inspiring Women for Generations to come

The actions of these women influenced and inspired other women for years

The way women were looked at was changed because of these hero’s