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Aemilia Lepida and the imago of Pompey : Female agency and the negotiation of public space in early imperial Rome

Brännstedt, Lovisa LU orcid (2023) In Eugesta. Journal of gender studies in antiquity p.122-140
Abstract
In 20 CE, Aemilia Lepida was tried before the senatorial court. When the court recessed for a holiday, she rallied support by referring to her Pompeian ancestry, choosing as her venue the theatre built by her great-grandfather Pompey himself. Accompanied by a group of fellow elite women (clarae feminae), Lepida entered the theatre and invoked the imagines of her great ancestor with tearful lamentations. Based on a close reading of Tacitus’ Annales 3.22, this article focuses on his descriptions of the strategies Lepida adopted and discusses how she used her connection to Pompey to support her case and argue that the physical setting of Lepida’s appeal to the people contributed to its meaning and that she in essences was asking for a trial... (More)
In 20 CE, Aemilia Lepida was tried before the senatorial court. When the court recessed for a holiday, she rallied support by referring to her Pompeian ancestry, choosing as her venue the theatre built by her great-grandfather Pompey himself. Accompanied by a group of fellow elite women (clarae feminae), Lepida entered the theatre and invoked the imagines of her great ancestor with tearful lamentations. Based on a close reading of Tacitus’ Annales 3.22, this article focuses on his descriptions of the strategies Lepida adopted and discusses how she used her connection to Pompey to support her case and argue that the physical setting of Lepida’s appeal to the people contributed to its meaning and that she in essences was asking for a trial by the public opinion. It will demonstrate how women could use their agency in negotiating public space, with a sensitivity to social conventions of the Roman imperial elite.
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Aemilia Lepida, Quirinius, Tiberius, Pompeius Magnus, Tacitus, Roman trial proceedings, imagines, gendered space, female agency, clarae feminae
in
Eugesta. Journal of gender studies in antiquity
issue
13
pages
19 pages
ISSN
2265-8777
DOI
10.54563/eugesta.1440
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
56a04ff1-c622-4ca3-af94-3330d0ea28f2
date added to LUP
2024-01-31 18:12:33
date last changed
2024-02-02 10:21:48
@article{56a04ff1-c622-4ca3-af94-3330d0ea28f2,
  abstract     = {{In 20 CE, Aemilia Lepida was tried before the senatorial court. When the court recessed for a holiday, she rallied support by referring to her Pompeian ancestry, choosing as her venue the theatre built by her great-grandfather Pompey himself. Accompanied by a group of fellow elite women (clarae feminae), Lepida entered the theatre and invoked the imagines of her great ancestor with tearful lamentations. Based on a close reading of Tacitus’ Annales 3.22, this article focuses on his descriptions of the strategies Lepida adopted and discusses how she used her connection to Pompey to support her case and argue that the physical setting of Lepida’s appeal to the people contributed to its meaning and that she in essences was asking for a trial by the public opinion. It will demonstrate how women could use their agency in negotiating public space, with a sensitivity to social conventions of the Roman imperial elite.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Brännstedt, Lovisa}},
  issn         = {{2265-8777}},
  keywords     = {{Aemilia Lepida; Quirinius; Tiberius; Pompeius Magnus; Tacitus; Roman trial proceedings; imagines; gendered space; female agency; clarae feminae}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{13}},
  pages        = {{122--140}},
  series       = {{Eugesta. Journal of gender studies in antiquity}},
  title        = {{Aemilia Lepida and the imago of Pompey : Female agency and the negotiation of public space in early imperial Rome}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/170549347/Lovisa_Brannstedt_Eugesta_13_01-12-2023.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.54563/eugesta.1440}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}