Visual/Material Sources (Women in the Ancient World)

Visual/Material Sources - General

Classical art and material sources provide insight on the roles, status, and perception of women in ancient societies.
Depictions of women in visual artefacts (like sculptures, vases, and frescoes) can indicate societal views on femininity, beauty, or virtue.
Art and material sources should be analysed critically, as they often mirror the ideologies of the male, upper class creators rather than a true representation of women’s experiences.

Reliefs and sculptures depict women with light, slender physiques, accentuated by tight-fitting garments, suggesting a societal preference for youth and beauty.
In tomb paintings, both men and women are shown participating in joyous activities, such as music and dance, indicating that women were part of public life.
Queen Hatshepsut is often portrayed with masculine attributes (like a fake beard) alluding to her unusual status as a female pharaoh.
Many domestic and funeral artefacts show women partaking in household tasks or rituals associated with death and the afterlife, a common role women served in religious life.

Archaic Korai figures reveal early Greek standard of female beauty - plump, youthful features, long hair, and elaborate attire.
On Attic red-figure pottery, women are often shown domestic settings (weaving, nursing children), reflecting their private roles.
Public Temple statues (like the Parthenon’s) depict mythological female figures but rarely mortal women, suggesting women’s diminished role in civic life.
The statues of Aphrodite and Artemis often emphasize fertility and virginity respectively, echoing women’s societal roles as bearers of children and maidenhood.

Women are more prominently featured in funerary art indicating the value Romans put on domestic virtues of a wife, mother, or daughter.
The Ara Pacis, a ceremonial altar, presents upper-class Roman women participating in religious processions, suggesting their public religious roles.
Portraiture was prevalent, with realistic depictions of both men and women. Women were often shown with elaborate hairstyles, signalling their wealth and status.
The statue of Livia, wife of Augustus, exemplifies the ideal Roman matron - modest, nurturing, and pious.
Household items (like cosmetic cases, jewellery, or mirrors) reveal aspects of daily lives of Roman women, including their beauty routines and luxuries they enjoyed.