Addressing the Gods: Women's Religious Activity in the Roman Republic

FAIN: FT-52048-04

Celia E. Schultz
Regents of the University of Michigan (New Haven, CT 06510-1703)

I would use a Summer Stipend to complete a study of the role of women in domestic ritual in the Roman Republic (fifth to first centuries BCE). The subject of Roman domestic religion is long overdue for consideration: it has not received extended treatment for a century. My work seeks to enhance the patchy picture of Roman household religion that can be drawn out of literary sources with an analysis of material evidence (reliefs, wall-paintings, gems) and inscriptions. The stipend would allow me to travel in Italy to examine physical and epigraphic material, much of which is not available through print or electronic media. This smaller project is a part of a book, Addressing the Gods: Women’s Religious Activity in the Roman Republic.