Women and the Army in the Roman Empire

Lee L. Brice, Elizabeth M. Greene

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2024
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781009623704
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

The presence of women in Roman military contexts has been established beyond doubt by scholars in recent decades. Nevertheless, very little sustained attention has been paid to who these women were, how they fit into the fabric of settlements, and what their contributions were to these communities. This volume offers new insights into the associations, activities, and social roles of women in the context of the Roman army, emphasizing the tangible evidence for the lived realities of women and families at different social levels. The various chapters adopt dynamic perspectives and shed new light on archaeological and historical evidence to provide novel conclusions about women's lives in antiquity. Histories of the Roman army can no longer ignore the women who lived and worked in its midst and histories of Roman women must acknowledge their important military role.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Maps
• List of Tables
• List of Contributors
• Acknowledgments
• List of Abbreviations
• Maps
• 1 Present but not Accounted For: Women and the Roman Army in the Twenty-First Century
• 2 Approaches to Women and the Roman Army: The History of a Debate
• 3 Agrippina and Company: Elite Women in the Castra
• 4 Elite Marriage and Adultery in the Camp: Pliny Epistles 6.31.4–6 and Tacitus Histories 1.48
• 5 Mother Courage and Her Children: The Family and Social Life of the Garrisons Stationed in Rome
• 6 Investigating Roles for Women inside Roman Military Bases through Artifact Distribution
• 7 (In)Visible Women and Children: Literary, Epigraphic, and Archaeological Evidence for British Migrant Families in the Roman Army
• 8 Soldiers’ Wives en Route in Roman Egypt: A Study through Graffiti, Private Letters, and Official Documents
• 9 The Role of Women in the Religious Activities of Roman Military Communities
• 10 Mater Castrorum: Imperial Women and Succession Ideology
• 11 Women and the Military in the Age of Justinian
• Index