Gender Roles In Ancient Rome

Roman Sex Roles: Priapus: guardian of the garden who had an enormous phallus and threatened to penetrate or rape any thieves; often seen holding a fruit basket, club, or sickle. Pederasty: known as sex with a boy (12-18 years old) by an older man; was very normal and legal in Rome; normally occurred until their beard began to show Cinaedus/Mollis: term for adult males who want to be penetrated; these men often became victim of civil disabilities because this was non-normative Tribas/Tribades: term for sexually perverse “butch” women who used uncommon orifices of their bodies for sex; often dressed and acted inappropriately Said that rape was done to the adult male (bearded thief) orally, Female
vaginally, and young boy anally. Women and young boys were normal sex objects for Roman men.
Second Punic War 219 BCE: Hannibal Attacks Saguntum and captures it. This breaks Ebro River treaty, provoking the Second Punic War The Second Punic War, fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic from 218-202 BC, was the final major Carthaginian military opposition to Rome's dominance in the Mediterranean. 218 BCE: Hannibal Crosses the Alps in 14 days with elephants (October) Hannibal arrives in Italy and defeats P. Cornelius Scipio at River Ticinus; defeats Sempronius Longus at Trebbia River. 217 BCE: Servilius was sent to Ariminium with his army. Roman disaster at Lake Trasimeno in central Italy, Hannibal defeats Romans led by Flaminius; 15,000 Romans killed. Romans appoint Fabius Maximum dictator. Fabius (aka “the delayer”) avoids contact with Hannibal's army but fails to avoid his escape from Campania. 216 BCE: Hannibal defeats Roman consuls C. Terentius Varro & L. Aemilius Paullus at Cannae; Paulus and 50,000 Romans and Roman army massacred in Cisapline, Gaul. 215 BCE: Many Greek cities joined Hannibal. Patavium (Padua) comes under Roman supremacy.; Lex Oppia: women not allowed to have excessive, dress, carriages, etc; the king of Macedon, Philip V, who controlled most of the mainland of Greece, allied himself with Hannibal and began his own war against Roman possessions. 214 BCE: Lack of manpower leads Rome to lowering of the minimum property qualification for serving in the land forces.; Hannibal moves South 213 BCE: Carthaginian army lands in Sicily.; Roman siege of Syracuse led by Marcellus continues. 212: Saguntum retaken; Hannibal takes Tarentum (Romans kept its citadel); Hanno defeated at Beneventum. Gracchus killed. Hannibal wins victory at Herdonea. 210: Scipio Africanus assumes command in Spain as privatus and then holds some form of command for ten consecutive years.; Hannibal wins second victory at Herdonea and Numistro; Rome raids African coast. 208: Scipio defeats Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal 207: Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal arrives in Italy.
He is defeated and killed at the Metaurus River in N. Italy by the troops led by the two consuls, M. Livius Salinator & C. Claudius Nero and his head is catapulted into Hannibal’s camp - Hannibal flees to Bruttium where he stays for four years. Further Roman raids on African coast 206: Scipio destroys the last Carthaginian forces in Spain. 205: Scipio elected consul 204: Mago is defeated in northern Italy attempting to reinforce Hannibal; Moors and Numidian Prince Massinissa to take the war to Africa.; Scipio lands in Africa and defeats a Carthaginian army and captures Tunis. Carthage backs rival Numidian Syphax who along with Hasdrubal Gisco is defeated by Scipio in two successive battles. 203: Hannibal and Mago are recalled to Carthage. Hannibal's convoy slips through carrying about 15,000 men 202: Carthaginians attack on Roman convoy which has run aground re-opens the war; Hannibal Returns to Africa ; Defeat of Carthage at Zama 201: War Against Hannibal ends - Peace granted to Carthage at the cost of Spain. Masinissa made king of Greater Numidia; Rome unites with Attalus I of Pergamum and Rhodes against Philip V of Macedonia; Massinissa becomes King of
Numidia

War with Jugurtha
• 111-105 BC
• Carthage gone, Rome still interested in Africa
• Jugurtha sent off by uncle to die, comes back victorious army hero, served under Scipio
• Wanted to gain power
• From kingdom of Numidia
• Bribes important Roman officials to leave him alone to gain control of Numidia
• Kills own cousin
• Jugurtha gets a taste of his own medicine
• Metallus gets Jugurtha’s best friends to betray him, Jugurtha is betrayed by Bacchus and delivered to Sulla, who gives him to Marius, who gives him to Metallus
• Metallus tells Marius that he will never get anywhere
• Marius – hero of war, related to Caesar, married Caesar’s aunt, “new man”- meaning not from rich family
• Jugurtha is led through Rome in a triumph for Metallus, saying Rome is a city for sale and soon to perish if they can find a buyer

Christianity and other non-mainstream religion
• hierarchy – Roman religion had no leaders
• creed – no creed in Roman religion
• ethical commitment – life by virtue for Roman religion
• afterlife – Roman religion no belief in afterlife
• sacred written authorities/ books – no writings for Roman religion
• separation of church and state – Roman religion no separation
• separate and categorical terms
• pagan – not Jewish nor Christian, everyone in Roman empire
• INITIATES
• Mithraism – cult in Persia, Mithras – Persian deity, slay bull
• Chronology of development of Christianity – persecutions, Christians are slaves, blamed for fire in 64 AD by Nero; Pliny the Younger and Trajan 111 AD – Christian foreigners executed, Christian citizens sent to Rome for trial; Marcus Aurelius 177 AD – approved massacre of Christians in Gaul, Decius 249 AD – emperor requires a sacrifice to gods, problem for Christians, Valerian 257 AD – Christians persecuted for not performing sacrifices, meetings banned; Diocletian (284-305 AD) – no meetings, try to take away power; Edict of Milan 313 AD – Christianity declared official religion of empire
• Development of canonical Gospels – compiled and legitimized in 4th century, Codex Sinaiticus – found @ Mt.
Sinai 300-325 AD, primary document
• Heresies – beliefs against common, mainstream, accepted belief, Infancy Gospel of
Thomas
• Gnostics – believed restrictions on those who knew and who didn’t, having knowledge about universe – gnosis; knowledge of perception, rejected by mainstream Christianity
• Orthodoxy- straight, normative belief, not Roman religion vs heterodoxy – sideways thinking, away from norm, foreign influence
• Religio – aspect of self definition, those who do ritual correctly vs superstition – usually foreign people practices, excessive commitment, slur
• Pliny in Bythinia – finds nothing wrong with Christians, exaggerated accusations (incest, fires, cannibalism = common libels against Christians) , stereotype of different religions and royalty, response of state to foreign cults
• Martyrs – those who died for their religious beliefs, became revered
• Jews in Roman Empire – weird, banned from Rome in 49 (Tiberius, Claudius), tolerated by Caesar and Augustus
• Mystery cults – not tolerated by Christianity although they were once a mystery cult

Rape/Prostitution

Julian Marriage Laws on Adultery

➢ Created by Augustus who was disturbed by the decreasing population of native Italians and the relaxed moral standard
➢ He wanted to return to the “good old days”
➢ Laws passed in 18 B.C regulating adultery’s and marriage
➢ They were meant to encourage marriage and discourage adultery

• A husband can kill his wives seducer
• The father of the daughter can kill the seducer and his daughter
• A husband who doesn’t divorce his wife when she is caught in adultery and goes unpunished is himself punished as a pimp
• These laws address both male and female
➢ As a result of Augustus’ disgust with widespread adultery, divorce, celibacy, and childlessness…while a good idea it was not realistic

Punishment for Adultery in Satire

➢ To be raped themselves orally and anally
➢ Peed on
➢ Cut off ears/nose of husband
➢ Paid fine to husband
The Julio Claudian laws and these punishments were two conflicting systems

Steprum: rape as a crime
Iniuria: Slander

Valerius Maximus on Chastity:

➢ He was an author of a collection of anecdotes for the use of orators. His target audience is that of the upper class similar to the elder Seneca
➢ Chastity= engaging in proper sex behavior i.e with the husband, as the penetrator, or no sex at all.
➢ According to this section on chastity it guards /marks the boys, the little girls, and all who are chaste
➢ The passage gives anecdotes where chastity has conquered for example when Appius Claudius was about to commit rape against Virginius’ virgin daughter, the father dragged her into the forum and killed her, preffering to be the killer of a chaste daughter than that of a corrupt one

Seneca Controversiae 5.6

➢ The man who was raped in the womens clothing…not a real case
➢ Implies that women should expect to be raped when outside at night alone
➢ The man dressed as a woman and was gang raped by ten men and the story implies that he asked for it because of the circumstances
➢ He prosecuted the ten men and they were found guilty
➢ He was barred from speaking publicly but sued the magistrate for iniuria (slander).

Five Significant points

1. Rape was the most common topic of jokes in Rome which highlights the male dominated culture and the power in the “top” and the “bottom.” Anyone who was raped or penetrated was paralleled with the lowest status of the woman
2. Julian Marriage Laws on Adultery
3. Punishment for adultery in satire
4. Adultery was a woman’s crime …The man who was raped in womens clothing
5. Valerius maximus on chastity…the importance of a chaste woman or child in Roman society…

First Sicilian Slave War

Key Players:

Eunus: A slave, the leader of the entire revolt. Believed to have a secret magical powers
Kleon: Another slave, led a later revolt
Rupilius Publius: Consul- Rupilius freed the island of Sicily from banditry and the slave uprising.

Place:

The City of Enna Sicily in 135 B.C

The war lasted from 135 B.C to about 131 B.C

Author:

The main account of the war comes from a Greek historian named Diodous Siculus (the Sicilian), from the city of Agynon, north of Enna. He completed a 40 book general history of the world. Two men summarized Diodorus’ account of slave wars in Sicily, Photios and Constantine. Diodorus’ books on the great slave wars in Sicily were lost and we therefore rely on the information of later writers.

Overview: The slaves are tired of such harsh treatment by owners and are led by fellow slave Eunus to a slave revolt and an ultimate war against their masters, the established culture system, and eventually Rome. After this original revolt others were initiated. Many Sicilian and Roman citizens were brutally murdered along with their families while some were spared for their kind hearts and actions before to the slaves. Battles were fought and many people died as the rebels grew in numbers and destruction. In the end the Rebels were captured and their leaders were murdered. Roman Society then pressed on.

Key Events:

➢ Due to the increase of maltreatment of slaves the excess violence and deprivation of basic needs, food/clothing ten’s of thousands of slaves joined forces to kill their masters and the associated families.
➢ Because they were not provided with food and clothing they were forced to provide for themselves by becoming bandits. These gangs were widespread and created a network for the revolts. Together they discussed the idea of pursuing the revolts.
➢ A Syrian slave named Eunus who claimed to be prophetic in his dreams and predicted his position as king was asked if the Gods were in favor of a revolt. He confirmed that the Gods had approved.
➢ Eunus led them with his mouth breathing fire into the homes in the city slaughtering families, multilating women and children with husbands forced to watch. o In some cases those who were known for their kind hearts were sparred.
➢ As they moved on they gained more and more slaves to their army.
➢ After murdering his own master and family- Eunus was chosen as king like he prophesized
➢ As king and commander he ordered that all inhabitants of Enna who were taken prisoner were to be executed except those who could make weapons
➢ Within three days he provided arms for more than six thousand men in addition to those already armed with axes, hatchets, fire spears, etc.
➢ When he gained enough soldiers he became bold enough to fight the Roman field commanders
➢ Now with more than ten thousand soldiers he often won because of large numbers
➢ At the same time Kleon, a Cilician began another revolt on the island. Those being attacked hoped that they would clash and ultimately destroy each other. Ultimately to free Sicily of the uprising
➢ The two groups merged when Kleon subordinated himself wholly to Eunus and became a general in service to the king
➢ After they collaborated as troops, the Praetor Lucions Hysaeus arrived from Rome with 8,000 soldiers from Rome
➢ Numbering 20,000 strong the rebels won as well as on many other occasions
➢ When news of the Sicilian evenst spread slave revolts all over began to erupt in Rome, Attica, and on the island of Delos
➢ Consul Publius Rupilius came to the rescue of the people and forced rebels to live in unspeakable conditions and famine by close siege. It became so extreme that athey began to eat their own children and wives
➢ In the end, a Syrian named Sappion betrayed the Citadel and the Roman commander was able to capture all the fugitive slaves in the city. They were thrown off of a high precipice and broke the hope of all the Rebels
➢ Kleon left to sail and died there in battle. His body was put on public display to prevent any further uprising
➢ Meanwhile Eunus took his bodyguard and saught refuge in rugged terrain
➢ Eunus’ men realized their fate and that they were defenseless now and cut eachothers throats with swords.
➢ \Eunus was removed along with four other men and placed in detention. There his body was destroyed by a mass of lice
➢ Rupilius freed the island from banditry and the slave uprising.