Abstract

Motherhood was fundamental in Roman society, in the personal lives of women and men, and as part of a generic female identity. The biological role of women was their most important social role, and motherhood increased the status of a woman, especially for mothers with male offspring. In Roman perceptions of a female life-course, marriage and motherhood were closely intervolved, and girls would grow up with the prospect of a future marriage, childbearing and motherhood as central in their lives. ¹ Females on all social levels experienced motherhood, but as the future mothers of new generations of Roman citizens, daughters in citizen families had a particular social responsibility for procreating.