Women in imperial Macedonia: a historical and epigraphic perspective - Archive ouverte HAL
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2024

Women in imperial Macedonia: a historical and epigraphic perspective

Résumé

Although it has long been neglected in favour of Achaia or Asia, the province of Macedonia offers a large amount of epigraphic documentation, much of which has been updated in recent years, enabling us to examine with a fresh eye the place of women, and in particular that of the elite. During the imperial period, Macedonian women remained strictly excluded from political life: unlike in Asia, for example, they never took on political offices, or even liturgies. Their involvement in civic life was therefore essentially done through the exercise of priesthoods, and in particular priesthoods of the imperial cult. From the early days of the Principate, the phenomenon of the couple priesthood gradually spread throughout the province. Reproducing the model of the imperial couple to a small extent, this paired the priest or high priest with a female partner responsible for the worship of deified empresses and female members of the imperial family. These priestesses, whose role was systematically shared with a man, could not claim to celebrate imperial worship alone or preside over contests in their own name. Although they did not represent means of emancipation or even autonomy, these female priesthoods did help increase the visibility of women in the public sphere of Macedonian cities. Commemorated through statues and honorary titles, their involvement in the imperial cult appears to have been an essential aspect of the self-promotion strategies of Macedonian notables’ families. This can be associated with the aristocratisation of society and the prominence of the family in men's careers. This female initiative can also be seen in the many euergetic acts undertaken in honour of imperial power. Several inscriptions mention women who financed the construction of temples or honorary monuments in their own name. This may be explained by the spread of Roman law, which gave matrons a more important role, or by the relative legal independence enjoyed by Macedonian women.
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

hal-04688210 , version 1 (04-09-2024)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-04688210 , version 1

Citer

Olga Boubounelle. Women in imperial Macedonia: a historical and epigraphic perspective. Greek Matronae: Female Civic Presence and Self-Representation in Imperial Greece (1st - 3rd c. CE), Giorgos Mitropoulos; Panagiotis Kanstantinidis, Jun 2024, Athènes, France. ⟨hal-04688210⟩
14 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Partager

More