Women of the
Ancient World
By Connie Nelson
Women have played a central role throughout ancient Roman and Greek
society. Here are some of the most famous ancient ladies!
Fulvia
married Mark Antony
and was seen by many to be a
partner in his political career.
When Mark Antony and Octavian
left the city to track down Caesar’s
assassins she is credited with
running the city in
their absence. She frequently rebuked Cicero’s attacks on her husband and
was even seen stabbing his decapitated head with a hairpin for revenge.
She was also the first living Roman woman to have her face on a coin!
Theodora
was one of
the few emperor’s wives
throughout history that were
not born into high society.
Her father was a bear trainer
and her mother was an
actress. As a young woman
she met Justinian, the heir to
the throne, and the two
married despite the legal difficulties he used her husband’s legal power to
make reforms to the legal system and improve the rights of women.