Women of Legend (Rome)

Question 1

What happend to the Sabine women after they were abducted?

Answer 1

• parents fled, mourn for them as if they were dead
• goes to king, Titus Tatius to get revenge from Romans
• Sabines attack city and manage to take Capitol
• war ensues
• Sabine women rush into battlefield to stop fighting between husbands and fathers and brothers

Question 1

Describe the story of the Sabine Women

Answer 1

• Rome needed more women to populate the town
• sent envoys to other tribes, gets rejected
• Romulus was humiliated
• prepared festival called Consualia and invited many neighbouring tribes to attend
• while they were preoccupied with a spectacle signal was sent out
• carry off the maidens, marked most beautiful ones for the important senators
• Romulus wins over reluctant maidens by offering them citizenship and possessions of their abductors
• implies that gods wanted this to happen and this is done with love

Question 2

Quote from Livy, History of Rome for Sabine women

Answer 2

• “it would be better for us to die than to live as widows and orphans without you”
• takes blame for anger/ war
• unable to fend for themselves without men
• expected to be self-sacrificing

Question 3

What did Romulus do after the war?

Answer 3

• splits Rome into 30 different areas, names each of 30 districts after a Sabine woman
• rule with Titus Tatius

Question 4

Why was the story of the Sabine women significant?

Answer 4

• creation myth
• gives Rome impression that they were always destined for greatness
• women should be accepting of their role of being subservient to men
• sets up society’s view on gender roles