It is generally stated that women in the modern age have many privileges. These are privileges they would not have enjoyed in previous eras. That statement is true. However, it obscures the many cultures that dealt with gender. It also hides how these cultures regulated behavior between the sexes. The Romans were particularly very obsessed with the issues surrounding women’s rights. They were a peculiar combination of libertine and conservative values mixed together into one pot. Women were definitely subordinate to men in Roman society. Fathers held a lot of power within the family. The man was in control and the woman had to accept this.
Of course, there is more than meets the eye. In every society, there are exceptions and subversions. Women in Ancient Rome and the Byzantine Empire were able to achieve a status above what their expected station. The histories of both the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire include many stories of powerful women. These women ruled behind the throne. The middle section of the 11th century saw several male emperors being dominated by two empresses, Zoe and Theodora. They were particularly powerful. They guided imperial policy in the Roman Empire during classical antiquity. We can see examples throughout the imperial period. We have Livia who was married to the greatest of Roman emperors, Augustus. Clearly, women were able to move above the station that was given to them.
However, how do the Roman and Byzantine empires differ in the lived experiences of women? The Roman Empire, compared to other ancient states, allowed women more freedom. Women had relatively lax and permissive lifestyles. One of the most important things was that divorce was relatively easy in comparison to other societies. This ability for a woman to decide upon her martial situation was quite empowering. This particular law began to change as Christianity began to take hold in the empire.
Divorce went from something that was common and accepted to something that was rare and was highly discouraged. In Byzantine philosophy surrounding the age, marriage was considered the ideal state for a woman. A nunnery was seen as the only viable alternative where she could live out her life. This was a complete change in attitudes from the Classical Roman era.
It was Christianity that changed the status of women in the empire. Christianity became the glue that held society together, displacing the pagan religions that once dominated. The change to Christian thinking meant that women were now judged in a different way. This was not considered during the times that pagan gods were in their heyday. In classical antiquity, women were considered to be weaker than men in ways that went beyond the physical. They were considered to be weaker mentally and easier towards suggestion and temptation. Christianity essentially assimilated these concepts and combined them into a cohesive philosophy surrounding views on women. The idea that women were weaker to suggestion led to actions to shield them from these influences. As a result, the idea of cloistering women away in special quarters of the house became more prominent. In the Christian empire, purity became something to aspire towards and sin was something that one had to be aware.
Christianity primacy in Byzantine society brought with it the emergence of the ideals of sex segregation. In classical antiquity, sexes were not as segregated. Many artistic depictions show women mingling with men. In Byzantium, art was generally focused upon the relationship humans had with the divine, excluding the secular, lived experience. Women, if they were depicted, were generally seen wearing head coverings. This change in attitude towards the woman’s body represents the Byzantine ideal. The woman was expected to stay home and away from other men. She was expected to run her household but not to mingle in activities that would incite her to commit sin. The desire to regulate women, stemmed from this desire to mitigate sin from occurring.
Byzantine women retained certain rights like the ability to own property and to make will even while married. As Christianity began to spread, women started to lose some of their autonomy. They had more autonomy in the classical Roman period. This did not prevent women from being able to have power in politics. Women were always excluded from politics in the official manner. However, the victory of Christianity in the 4th century did not put an end to women’s influence in politics.
Everything that has been discussed here is an ideal. The classical Romans had the ideal woman who was modest and showed great temperance. The Byzantines wanted the woman to be safe from partaking in sin. The Byzantine ideal in particular was only really practiced amongst the elite classes. They could afford to have their women cloistered away in the house. Women of the commoner classes were often more able to interact with men and run their own businesses. These were the type of women who could not afford to not be working.
There was a continuity in social customs with Roman and Byzantine women. They were more emancipated than most European women were in the 19th century. Christianity made women’s lives more restrictive in some ways. However, they still enjoyed greater liberties than their sisters in Western Europe. They also had more freedom than women on the planet at large.
Byzantine-Empire.com 