Gender, Manumission, and the Roman Freedwoman

Gender, Manumission, and the Roman Freedwoman examines the distinct problem posed by the manumission of female slaves in ancient Rome. The sexual identities of a female slave and a female citizen were fundamentally incompatible, as the former was principally defined by her sexual availability and the latter by her sexual integrity. Accordingly, those evaluating the manumission process needed to reconcile a woman's experiences as a slave with the expectations and moral rigor required of the female citizen. The figure of the freedwoman - fictionalized and real - provides an extraordinary lens into the matter of how Romans understood, debated, and experienced the sheer magnitude of the transition from slave to citizen, the various social factors that impinged upon this process, and the community stakes in the institution of manumission. Cover Gender, Manumission, and the Roman Freedwoman Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Gender, Sexuality, and the Status of Female Slaves Honor-Shame and the Degradation of Female Slaves The Sexual Integrity of Female Slaves in Roman Law Female Slaves and Prostitution The Household and Perceptions of Slave Sexuality Conclusion 2 Gender, Labor, and the Manumission of Female Slaves The Work and Value of Female Slaves The Decision to Manumit Manumission and Female Citizenship Conclusion 3 The Patron-Freedwoman Relationship in Roman Law Freedwomen’s Obligations to Patrons: Gendered Forms of Obsequium and Operae Guardianship (Tutela) and Inheritance Rights (Bona) Marriage and Consents to Marriage Conclusion 4 The Patron-Freedwoman Relationship in Funerary Inscriptions Funerary Inscriptions and Legal Status The Patron-Freedwoman Relationship Patrons and Husbands Conclusion 5 The Slavish Free Woman and the Citizen Community The Legal Standing of Freedwomen: An Equality of Respectability The Problem with Ex-Slaves: The Slavish Freedwoman in Roman Literature Marriage and the Transcendence of the Slavish Freedwoman Conclusion Conclusion Appendix A: Approximate Dates for Jurists Mentioned in the Text Appendix B : Inscriptions from CIL 6 Commemorating “Patrons” and “Husbands” Appendix C : Inscriptions from CIL 6 Commemorating an Individual as “Patron and Husband” or “Freedwoman and Wife” Inscriptions with “Patron and Husband” (“Husband” precedes “Patron”) Inscriptions with “Patron and Husband” (“Patron” precedes “Husband”) 2584 2884 2962 5360 6788 7368 7788 8449 8604 9590 9609 968 Inscriptions with “Freedwoman and Wife” (“Wife” precedes “Freedwoman”) 7515 7673 11770 12162 13491 14930 15965 16342 16413 1820 Inscriptions with “Freedwoman and Wife” (“Freedwoman” precedes “Wife”) Inscriptions with Split Status (One Individual Commemorated as “Patron/Freedwoman,” the Other as “Husband/Wife”) Notes Introduction 1 Gender, Sexuality, and the Status of Female Slaves 2 Gender, Labor, and the Manumission of Female Slaves 3 The Patron-Freedwoman Relationship in Roman Law 4 The Patron-Freedwoman Relationship in Funerary Inscriptions 5 The Slavish Free Woman and the Citizen Community Conclusion Bibliography Index of Sources Subject Index This book examines the distinct problem posed by the manumission of female slaves in ancient Rome. The sexual identities of a female slave and a female citizen were fundamentally incompatible, as the former was principally defined by her sexual availability and the latter by her sexual integrity. Accordingly, those evaluating the manumission process needed to reconcile a woman's experiences as a slave with the expectations and moral rigor required of the female citizen. The figure of the freedwoman - fictionalized and real - provides an extraordinary lens into the matter of how Romans understood, debated, and experienced the sheer magnitude of the transition from slave to citizen, the various social factors that impinged upon this process, and the community stakes in the institution of manumission.--Publisher's description Gender, Sexuality, And The Standing Of Female Slaves -- Gender, Labor, And The Manumission Of Female Slaves -- The Patron-freedwoman Relationship In Roman Law -- The Patron-freedwoman Relationship In Funerary Inscriptions -- The Slavish Free Woman And The Citizen Community. Matthew J. Perry, Assistant Professor Of History, John Jay College Of Criminal Justice, City Univeristy Of New York. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [237]-254) And Index. This book explores the institution of manumission - the freeing of slaves - in ancient Rome.