Aurelia from Viminacium: From Puella to Matron

The Roman world was a man’s world. It was defined as such by the ruling circles of the (male) elite, and the research of archaeologists and historians for many years presented such a picture. So today we know a lot about the political and military hegemony of Rome over the ancient world, the organization of the army and armaments, the organization of government in the provinces, infrastructure issues, large construction projects that include aqueducts, amphitheaters, temples, military camps, etc. However, the fact that the ancient writers did not leave significant evidence about the female part of the population, and that women were not sufficiently represented in scientific studies, does not mean that they were not important and active factors in the society of that time.

Viminacium was founded as a legion headquarters on the fortified Roman border – Limes. In such an environment, oriented towards the army and the administration, it is even more difficult to spot the female part of the population and reconstruct their daily activities.

What did it mean to be a woman in the ancient period? What obstacles did the inhabitants of these areas face in the first centuries of our era? How did they overcome them? Aurelia, a woman you rarely meet, will help us in our search for answers, through a lecture by Ilija Danković, PhD, scientific associate of the Archaeological Institute in Belgrade.