What did it mean to be a woman in Pompeii? The city’s exceptional preservation offers a vivid glimpse into women’s daily lives and roles in Roman society. Frescoes, portraits, graffiti, inscriptions, and personal objects reveal the presence of women across all social classes—matrons, freedwomen, slaves—and all life stages, from birth to death. They were daughters, wives, concubines, and mothers, playing essential roles in both family and community life.
This rich and complex world is explored in the exhibition “Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii,” at the Palestra Grande from 16 April 2025 to 31 January 2026.