Roman Girlhood and the Fashioning of Femininity

This book examines the lives of adolescent girls in early Roman imperial society (first century BCE to third century CE).

Lauren Caldwell (Author)

9781108730259, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 January 2019

194 pages
22.7 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.3 kg

'… the study harnesses an impressive array of primary literary and epigraphic sources presented in a manner that is accessible, well written, and makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of girlhood and femininity in the Roman context … Roman Girlhood and the Fashioning of Femininity would easily have a place on the bookshelf of undergraduates embarking on Roman history studies as well as scholars particularly interested in feminist, childhood, and sexual history during the Roman period.' Hayley Stoneham, The Journal of Dress History

Elite women in the Roman world were often educated, socially prominent, and even relatively independent. Yet the social regime that ushered these same women into marriage and childbearing at an early age was remarkably restrictive. In the first book-length study of girlhood in the early Roman Empire, Lauren Caldwell investigates the reasons for this paradox. Through an examination of literary, legal, medical, and epigraphic sources, she identifies the social pressures that tended to overwhelm concerns about girls' individual health and well-being. In demonstrating how early marriage was driven by a variety of concerns, including the value placed on premarital virginity and paternal authority, this book enhances an understanding of the position of girls as they made the transition from childhood to womanhood.

Introduction
1. Formal education and socialization in virtue
2. Protecting virginity
3. Medical perspectives on puberty
4. The pressure to marry
5. The wedding
Epilogue.

Subject Areas: Age groups: children [JFSP1], Gender studies: women [JFSJ1], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]