Analysis Of The Primary Source: Roman Women Demonstrate Against The Oppian Law

Primary Source Essay Chapter 5 Reading 3

Roman Women Demonstrate against the Oppian Law (195 B.C.E)

The source, Roman Women Demonstrate Against the Oppian Law, written by Livy, a Roman historian, offers a great deal of information into the history of the Roman culture. This document is a reorganized explanation of a debate that occurred in 195 B.C.E between Marcus Porcius Cato and Lucius Valerius over the repeal of the Oppian Law, which was written in Rome sometime between 59 BCE and 17 CE (130-206 years after the debate occurred). At this time in the Roman society, like much of the world, women were valued in the traditional roles of wives and mothers. However, they moved beyond the boundaries of their roles to fight the Oppian law, which

More specifically, this source is intended for the supporters of the Oppian law and male dominance, not so much the supporters of women equality. The genres of this written document are law and history. Through the debate between Marcus Porcius Cato and Lucius Valerius, Livy explains the Oppian law and the different views of women’s’ roles in Roman society at that time in history. Although Livy is somewhat bias towards men, his style choice provides insight to both sides of the debate instead of just his view, which increases the reliability of the source. The style of the source also increases the appreciation for the content because the people that agree with the law and the people that oppose the law can relate to the source. Although Lucius Valerius’s argument does not appeal to the specific audience that Livy is trying to reach, both sides of the debate are described in the source. However, it is possible that Livy left out some information to support Marcus Porcius Cato and his own view of male supremacy. The reliability of the source is negatively affected by the identity of the intended audience because Livy is specifically trying to reach those who agree with his view and support the Oppian

Through the debate, we learn about the history of Rome culture, the Roman society, the view of women in the Roman society, and the roles they had. In 195 B.C.E., Rome was facing economic oppression from the war. Because of the monetary hardship, the Oppian law was passed in hopes to decrease conflict between the rich and the poor. At this time in Roman society, gender role distinctions and class distinctions existed, and gender roles greatly affected laws and the government. Women were considered weak and viewed as prizes of men that determined their status and place in society. Because women were under men’s control, they were seen as a treat to society when they stepped out of their boundaries and demonstrated publicly against the Oppian law. Not all of the information about this event is present in this source, but overall, the content of this source is reliable information.