Conspicuous concealment : an investigation into the veiling of Roman women, with special reference to the time of Augustus.

Abstract

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

Although there is much evidence for the practice of female veiling in the Classical world
 
 it has for the most part been ignored.
 
 Evidence for the veiling of Roman women is found in many sources. Ancient
 
 lexicographers list many names for veils that these women wore. Each of these veils was
 
 particular to the context in which they were worn and by whom they were worn. The
 
 plenitude of veiling terminology as well as the specialized nature of these veils alerts the
 
 reader to the importance that the Romans attributed to the veil, suggesting that it formed
 
 an important part of their culture and this is described in visual and literary terms by
 
 ancient artists and writers.
 
 From discussions on modern veiling it is possible, through the application of a
 
 comparative methodology, to create models that can elucidate the Roman system. From
 
 anthropological studies undertaken on modern veiling cultures, it can be appreciated
 
 how notions of 'honour' and 'shame,' a belief in the evil-eye, the polluting force of the
 
 female body and the use of the veil as a means of sexual communication influenced
 
 Roman veiling. In this way it becomes possible to understand how the veil became a
 
 marker for the positive forces of femininity and for the containment of the negative
 
 influences. The veil became a signifier of sound gender relations. The fact that this
 
 vestimentary code is able to generate meaning in the minds of observers is because it
 
 works in conjunction with a rhetorical system of dress.
 
 The practice of veiling is therefore viewed by the Romans in a positive light, and its
 
 disruption is understood by them as a cause for concern. This concern was especially
 
 apparent during the late republic. The dissolution of the traditional forms of government
 
 was in some ways problematized in terms of gender, with women's abandonment of
 
 their traditional roles and their incursion into the public sphere being of specific
 
 importance. In order to remedy this, attempts were made by the new regime of Augustus
 
 to promote a return to what were seen to be traditional gender relations. This programme
 
 of moral reform made use of both formal, legalistic decree (the Julian marriage laws)
 
 and more propagandistic constructions (the public works of art). In this process
 
 traditional symbols assumed a high degree of salience. Because of its power to signify
 
 the beneficial and appropriate status of the female body, one of the most important of
 
 these symbols was the veil.
 
 In this dissertation the artistic and literary manifestations of veiling and its social and
 
 political significance are discussed with specific reference to the Augustan period.