Representations and Realities: Cemeteries as Evidence for Women in Roman Britain
Authors
John Pearce
Department of Classics, King’s College London, UK
Keywords:
Roman women, Burial practices, Gender construction
Abstract
The article considers how burial evidence might contribute to the undestarnding of gender, i.e. the socio-cultural construction of sexual difference, as a dynamic aspect of identity in a Roman province, with a particular focus on women. This subject has hitherto received limited attention and its potential is too great to explore fully in a short paper. Given this costraint, the article indicates possibilities and problems rather than to offer definitive conclusions. Its emphasis lies on Roman Britain, but similar questions could be applied to other parts of the Roman world.
