New Discovery: Life-Size Sculptures Reveal Women’s Power in Ancient Rome
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📰 The quick summary: Life-size sculptures discovered outside Pompeii’s city walls reveal ancient Roman women held powerful roles beyond being wives, showcasing their independent contributions to society.
📈 One key stat: The female statue stands at 1.77m tall – slightly taller than her male counterpart at 1.75m, challenging traditional assumptions about gender roles in ancient Rome.
💬 One key quote: “The point is: a woman doesn’t have to be a wife to be standing next to a man.”
1️⃣ The big picture: Archaeologists have uncovered remarkable life-size sculptures just outside the ancient city walls of Pompeii, preserved by the 79th AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The discovery features a monumental tomb with sculptures of a woman and man standing side by side, with the woman slightly taller and holding symbols of religious authority. The female figure appears to be a priestess of the goddess Ceres, indicated by her laurel branch used in religious rituals. This finding challenges long-held assumptions about women’s roles in ancient Roman society, suggesting they held significant positions of power independent of their marital status. The discovery adds to growing evidence that women in ancient societies had more diverse and influential roles than previously thought.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This discovery transforms our understanding of women’s roles in ancient Roman society, proving they held positions of real power and influence. The physical evidence of a priestess depicted independently, rather than as someone’s wife, demonstrates that women could achieve high status through their own accomplishments. Modern archaeological techniques and fresh perspectives are helping uncover these overlooked stories of female achievement. This challenges outdated assumptions about gender roles in ancient societies and provides inspiring historical examples of women’s leadership.
3️⃣ What’s next: Researchers can now conduct further analysis of the tomb and its surroundings to uncover more details about the identities of these figures and their roles in Pompeiian society. Additional archaeological work may reveal similar examples of women in positions of power throughout the ancient Roman world. This discovery opens new avenues for studying and understanding gender roles in ancient civilizations.
Read the full story here: The Conversation – Life-size sculptures uncovered in Pompeii show that ancient women didn’t just have to be wives to make a difference
