To Be a Woman in Antiquity: A Retrospective

Gallery
Essere Donna Nell’antica (To Be a Woman in Antiquity)
Parco Archeologico di Pompei

Essere Donna Nell’antica (To Be a Woman in Antiquity). On view until January 31 2026 in the Palestra Grande at the Pompeii Archaeological Park.

What did it mean to be a woman in Pompeii? The Campanian city and its extraordinary state of preservation offers us a wealth of evidence to learn about aspects of daily life of women and the position they occupied in the Roman home and in society. Frescoes, private and funerary portraits, graffiti, inscriptions, and possessions offer us valuable information about the life and activities of a female universe that was fundamental to the smooth functioning of the community. All social classes of women are documented: matrons, freedwomen, slaves; all family roles: wives, daughters, concubines; and all stages of life: birth, childhood, marriage, motherhood, death.

To this complex and multifaceted female world, is dedicated the new exhibition “Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii,” Palestra Grande in Pompeii from 16th April 2025 to 31st January 2026.

Event Information
Start Date: April 16, 2025
End Date: January 31, 2026
Venue: Palestra Grande

Essere Donna Nell’antica (To Be a Woman in Antiquity)

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