ABSTRACT
Even a glance at the evidence shows us how far Greek and Hellenistic practices and beliefs led to a submissive and excluding role for women within the domestic sphere, in contrast to Roman society where they are at the heart of domestic life. Aristotle had defined the female sex as defective and the male as normative,18 and in practice such a philosophy led to men, often slaves, being responsible for the early education of boys rather than their mothers which had been the usual practice in early Roman society. Roman traditions continued alongside newly introduced Greek ideas and practices, however, and this meant that there was variety regarding the estimation and role of women in Roman society.
