When we think of Romans, the image that comes to mind is often of a legion of stern-faced soldiers. But the Romans that came to Britain were men and women from across the Roman Empire, from north Africa to Germany, and from Syria to Spain.
Parts of the British Isles were under the control of the Roman Empire for hundreds of years. The population of Roman Britain was more diverse than commonly imagined, containing a wide range of people from different religions, ethnic groups and genders. There is material evidence of women and their lives in the finds from the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, near Silchester. This blog explores Roman women through artefacts in the Silchester collection.
Most of history is written from a male perspective or is male-dominated. Only 20% of biographies on Wikipedia are about women, but just under 50% of the world population is female. What we know about the Romans comes from their literature and historical records plus the monuments and artefacts they left. The Roman artefacts in the Museum have a few tantalising references to the Roman women who lived in Britain, such as inscriptions on tombstones and letters.
This tells us a little about the women who lived in Roman Silchester.
Primania
Silver spoon inscribed ‘L PRIMANIE’ REDMG : 1995.1.103
This complete silver spoon belonged to Primania. The back of the spoon bowl is inscribed L PRIMANIE. L is short for ligula, spoon in Latin, so translated it means ‘Primania's spoon’. The female name probably comes from the Latin word Prima, meaning first.
Roman female names tended to have only one or two parts. Some females had a family name (nomen) followed by a family subdivision or name to differentiate sisters (cognomen). Daughters were generally given a feminine form of their father’s nomen, adding -ia at the end. In this case, Primania was most likely the first-born daughter of her family.
The Romans ate with knives, spoons and fingers. William Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities suggests this type of spoon with an oval bowl was used for cleaning out vessels or eating jellies. It is said that the pointed ends were used for eating shellfish or snails.
This complete fourth century silver spoon was found in Calleva in 1901 during excavations by the Society of Antiquaries.
Venusta
Pewter bowl inscribed ‘VENVSTAE VAS’, REDMG : 1995.1.142
The name Venusta appears on the flange of a pewter bowl. The text ‘VENVSTAE VAS’ can be translated to ‘bowl of Venusta’. This bowl is made of Roman pewter, which is usually an alloy of tin and lead. Pewter bowls were made in moulds and finished on a lathe.
Venusta is a name with origins in Proto Indo-European, Sanskrit, and Latin. This feminine name was commonly given to girls. It comes from the Latin root of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
This bowl was found in Calleva during excavations by the Society of Antiquaries in 1901, inside a well.
Junia Berenice
Part of a commemorative inscription to Junia Berenice on Purbeck marble, REDMG : 1995.1.8
Junia Berenice is the subject of a commemorative inscription on a stone monument. Only a fragment of the inscription survives so its complete message is unknown. Sabine Huebner argued that this was part of a funerary monument whilst Francis Haverfield thought it was part of a dedication. It may have commemorated construction work done in memory of Junia Berenice by her children.
Even though only a fragment of the text survives, it is possible to reconstruct some of the words because of sentence structure and standard Roman abbreviations. The text on the slab of Purbeck marble is transcribed as: ]SEX[.../..IV]NIAE BE[RENICES../..MA]TRIS
We don’t know anything more about the life of Junia Berenice, but she was important enough to be commemorated. Junia was a very common woman’s name in the ancient Roman world.
Rev J.G. Joyce found the stone at Calleva Atrebatum while he was excavating west of the north Tribunal of the Basilica between May and June 1868. The early excavators kept even the smallest pieces of stone with evidence of inscriptions.
Representations of Women
Mother-Goddess
Mother-goddess statue, REDMG : 1995.4.44
This small statue is a figure of a mother goddess seated in a basket-work chair. She is draped to the feet, with a shawl over the shoulders and two suckling infants at her breast. It was made out of white pipe clay in the second century CE in central Gaul. The representation is of a Celtic mother-goddess who may possibly have been equated with Juno Lucina, a Roman goddess who presided over childbirth.
The Mother-Goddess deity is a hybrid of Celtic and Roman beliefs, and worship of her continued through the Roman period. This statue was probably worshipped at a small shrine in a private house.
Euterpe
Flute player, or Euterpe, bronze figurine of a pipe player, REDMG : 1995.4.3
This is a cast bronze figure of a girl holding a tibia -- a double-reed wind instrument, like an oboe. She is wearing a tall stephane, or headdress, decorated with feathers, and is therefore likely to be Euterpe, one of the nine muses.
In mythology, the muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Challenged by the sirens to a musical contest, the muses won and humiliated the sirens by pulling out their wing feathers and wearing them on their heads as tokens of their supremacy. Euterpe, as the muse of lyric poetry and wind instruments, is usually represented with a pipe or double pipes.
The figure was excavated by the Society of Antiquaries at Calleva Atrebatum in 1900. The stylised folds of her dress along with the large head, shoulders and upper arms are characteristic of Romano-British work from the second or third century CE. This statue gives us an insight into local religious practices and beliefs.
Elite women
Another source of representations of women are found on Roman coins. Emperors appear on coins, and so do their family members. Unlike the women who we know only from inscribed names, on coins we see their portrait, and history records the lives of these high-class people.
Julia Domna
Denarius coin of Julia Domna struck under Septimius Severus, REDMG : 1995.1.1042
Denarius coin of Julia Domna struck under Septimius Severus, REDMG : 1995.1.1042
Julia Domna (b. circa 170 CE, d. circa 216) was born in Emesa, in Roman Syria. Emesa (modern day Homs) was a multicultural merchant city at the junction of trade routes in incense, spice and silk.
Domna’s father, Julius Bassianus, was a hereditary priest of the sun god El-Gabel and a city leader. She became the second wife of Septimius Severus, who went on to become Emperor in 193 CE.
She moved to Rome to live an imperial life. As the Emperor’s wife she received the titles of Augusta and ‘mother of the army camps’. Julia Domna’s position meant she had influence and wielded power. After Septimius Severus’ death in 211, their sons Geta and Caracalla jointly ruled, until Geta’s murder led to Caracalla’s sole reign.
Julia Maesa
Denarius coin of Julia Maesa, struck under Elgabalus, REDMG : 1995.1.1081
Julia Maesa (b. 160 CE – circa. 224 CE), the elder sister of Julia Domna, also appears on coins. Although elevated to a member of the imperial family through her brother-in-law, her fame and influence were during the reigns of her grandsons; Elagabalus and Severus Alexander.
Julia Maesa was also born in Emesa, in Roman Syria, and spoke Greek and Aramaic. Emesa was at the edge of the Roman Empire and Maesa held Roman citizenship though her father, a hereditary priest and city leader. Maesa married Roman soldier Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus. Avitus became consul in 200 CE and attained the higher status of consular rank. They had two daughters, Julia Soaemias and Julia Mamaea, who were the mothers of Elagabalus and Severus Alexander, respectively.
After Septimius Severus’ death Maesa started a rebellion to make 14-year-old Elagabalus emperor, using her military connections in Emesa. After his death she helped ensure her other grandson Severus Alexander became emperor, also aged 14. She died a year into his reign, but he ruled successfully for 10 years, with his mother Julia Mamaea as one of his chief advisors.
Share your views on our Roman Gallery - online survey
We are making plans to refresh our Silchester Gallery, which explores finds from the renowned collection of artefacts excavated at the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum in modern-day Silchester. We will tell new stories based on the most recent archaeological research by the University of Reading and want to enhance the visitor experience.
You can share your views about our ideas in this short online survey.
