ABSTRACT
In recent years, scholars have increasingly begun to ask to what extent gender played a role in shaping the character of Roman urban space. One area of contention has been the civic forum, which has often been portrayed as a predominantly masculine space. While initially honorific statues for women were erected in proximity to the forum, in the second century ce they began to appear more frequently in the fora themselves, both in Italy and in North Africa. These women were often honoured not due to their own merits, but because of the political careers of their husbands and sons. This paper presents as more nuanced perspectives on why or why not statues for women were set up on and around fora and on how far they can or cannot be used for gender-related questions.
