Chains of gold: female status and the Roman 'catena' in the early Imperial period
This article considers the Roman body chain (catena), which comprises two long lengths of woven gold chain worn crisscrossing the torso. Roman illustrations of women wearing catenae demonstrate that the form carried strongly erotic connotations relating to the goddess Venus and female sensuality. A...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Oslo Library
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Acta ad Archaeologiam et Artium Historiam Pertinentia |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.uio.no/acta/article/view/10442 |
| _version_ | 1797729875803504640 |
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| author | Meredith P. Nelson |
| author_facet | Meredith P. Nelson |
| author_sort | Meredith P. Nelson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article considers the Roman body chain (catena), which comprises two long lengths of woven gold chain worn crisscrossing the torso. Roman illustrations of women wearing catenae demonstrate that the form carried strongly erotic connotations relating to the goddess Venus and female sensuality. A small corpus of preserved body chains from the Vesuvian region testifies to their actual use by women in the first centuries BC and AD. This study examines the status of the women who wore such jewellery, which combined clear economic expense with erotic messaging. In opposition to claims that the sexual nature of body chains signals their association with prostitutes, it is argued here that visual and textual sources contemporaneous with the Vesuvian chains point to women of “respectable” social categories having both the freedom and incentive to express a confident sexual identity. Important archaeological evidence offers further indications for the ownership and use of catenae by Roman women of varying status. The potential meanings and motivations underlying the shared use of this symbolic form of adornment are also addressed.
On cover:
Late Roman wall, the portion immediately south of the West Gate (Porta Oea) with re-used blocks from first-century mausolea (Drawing by Francesca Bigi) and Tombstone of Regina from South Shields (Arbeia) (Tyne and WearArchives and Museums/ Bridgeman Images).
E-ISSN (online version) 2611-3686
ISSN (print version) 0065-0900
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T11:36:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-edf02a0c37da45a08a0f778db292509d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0065-0900 2611-3686 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T11:36:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | University of Oslo Library |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta ad Archaeologiam et Artium Historiam Pertinentia |
| spelling | doaj.art-edf02a0c37da45a08a0f778db292509d2023-09-01T05:50:30ZengUniversity of Oslo LibraryActa ad Archaeologiam et Artium Historiam Pertinentia0065-09002611-36862023-08-0133N.S. 1910.5617/acta.10442Chains of gold: female status and the Roman 'catena' in the early Imperial periodMeredith P. Nelson0Scientific Collaborator. Centre de Recherches en Archéologie et Patrimoine. Université Libre de BruxellesThis article considers the Roman body chain (catena), which comprises two long lengths of woven gold chain worn crisscrossing the torso. Roman illustrations of women wearing catenae demonstrate that the form carried strongly erotic connotations relating to the goddess Venus and female sensuality. A small corpus of preserved body chains from the Vesuvian region testifies to their actual use by women in the first centuries BC and AD. This study examines the status of the women who wore such jewellery, which combined clear economic expense with erotic messaging. In opposition to claims that the sexual nature of body chains signals their association with prostitutes, it is argued here that visual and textual sources contemporaneous with the Vesuvian chains point to women of “respectable” social categories having both the freedom and incentive to express a confident sexual identity. Important archaeological evidence offers further indications for the ownership and use of catenae by Roman women of varying status. The potential meanings and motivations underlying the shared use of this symbolic form of adornment are also addressed. On cover: Late Roman wall, the portion immediately south of the West Gate (Porta Oea) with re-used blocks from first-century mausolea (Drawing by Francesca Bigi) and Tombstone of Regina from South Shields (Arbeia) (Tyne and WearArchives and Museums/ Bridgeman Images). E-ISSN (online version) 2611-3686 ISSN (print version) 0065-0900 https://journals.uio.no/acta/article/view/10442adornmentjewellerycatenaImperial Romefemale sensualitybody-chain |
| spellingShingle | Meredith P. Nelson Chains of gold: female status and the Roman 'catena' in the early Imperial period Acta ad Archaeologiam et Artium Historiam Pertinentia adornment jewellery catena Imperial Rome female sensuality body-chain |
| title | Chains of gold: female status and the Roman 'catena' in the early Imperial period |
| title_full | Chains of gold: female status and the Roman 'catena' in the early Imperial period |
| title_fullStr | Chains of gold: female status and the Roman 'catena' in the early Imperial period |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chains of gold: female status and the Roman 'catena' in the early Imperial period |
| title_short | Chains of gold: female status and the Roman 'catena' in the early Imperial period |
| title_sort | chains of gold female status and the roman catena in the early imperial period |
| topic | adornment jewellery catena Imperial Rome female sensuality body-chain |
| url | https://journals.uio.no/acta/article/view/10442 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT meredithpnelson chainsofgoldfemalestatusandtheromancatenaintheearlyimperialperiod |