Vestal Virgins, Sibyls, and Matrons: Women in Roman Religion

by Sarolta A. Takács

Roman women were the procreators and nurturers of life, both in the domestic world of the family and in the larger sphere of the state. Although deterred from participating in most aspects of public life, women played an essential role in public religious ceremonies, taking part in rituals designed to ensure the fecundity and success of the agricultural cycle on which Roman society depended. Thus religion is a key area for understanding the contributions of women to Roman society and their importance beyond their homes and families. In this book, Sarolta A. Takács offers a sweeping overview of Roman women's roles and functions in religion and, by extension, in Rome's history and culture from the republic through the empire. She begins with the religious calendar and the various festivals in which women played a significant role. She then examines major female deities and cults, including the Sibyl, Mater Magna, Isis, and the Vestal Virgins, to show how conservative Roman society adopted and integrated Greek culture into its mythic history, artistic expressions, and religion. Takács's discussion of the Bona Dea Festival of 62 BCE and of the Bacchantes, female worshippers of the god Bacchus or Dionysus, reveals how women could also jeopardize Rome's existence by stepping out of their assigned roles. Takács's examination of the provincial female flaminate and the Matres/Matronae demonstrates how women served to bind imperial Rome and its provinces into a cohesive society.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction

220 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Sarolta A. Takács is Professor of History and a member of the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Faculty at Rutgers University. Her research interests include Roman history, culture, religion, and literature from Early Empire through Late Antiquity. She is the author of Isis and Sarapis in the Roman World (1995), Silent Voices. Vestals, Sibyls, and Matrons: Studies in Roman Religion (2008), which looks at Roman women and the role they played maintaining Rome's socio-political structure as well as the understanding of the Roman self by means of religious rituals. Her newest book, The Construction of Authority in Ancient Rome and Byzantium (2008), investigates the power of rhetoric through the traditional virtues of the ancient Romans. She is the editor-in-chief of Roman Studies. Interdisciplinary Approaches (Lexington Books, Rowman and Littlefield Inc.) and the founding dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program.

Reviews

[Sally Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not quite worth the S1.99 I paid. Do not buy it at all unless you can get it for that or less. 99c would be a much better price point.

There's some Olympic-worthy jumping to conclusions, and you'll need a whooole lot of tolerance for fertility deity discussions. As a woman who possesses her own uterus and ovaries, I was still rolling my eyes sometimes.

Much of the bibliography was by people I never heard of (except the classical authors, whose quotes take up a LOT of space -- and did we really need quotes from CIL both in English and Latin?) and I don't knew if they are genuinely under-looked sources (most ancient histories are written by men) or stuff that hasn't passed peer review and so doesn't get footnotes.

I'm a staunch feminist who's worked in spaces both hostile to women and in some activist causes, and even I got annoyed/bored at several points.

It might be a necessary corrective (since most history is still written by men, and all ancient history was), or it might be a little too far, or both. I couldn't tell.

Only for people who are interested in the topic and who are at least a bit feminist.

It was short and the Kindle conversion is flawless.

Only

[Mary Catelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting information. Also some improbable speculation-- keep an eye on evidence offered.