The Education of Women in Ancient Rome

Abstract

This chapter surveys the education of Roman women in Rome and Italy during the late Republic and the first three centuries of the Empire. The main topics are: women's opportunities to receive education, the kinds of education they received, the levels they could reach, and the judgments that were passed on educated women. The chapter's main focus is on the literary and philosophical education of women of wealthy urban families and on the mixed feelings their education aroused, but some attention is also paid to the varying levels of literacy and numeracy of women of the professional classes.