The Romans built roads all
over the empire, and all roads led to Rome. The ancient Greeks had
roads, but they were not built nearly as well, and the Greek's roads
did not connect in any particular order. Connect to what? Each Greek
city-state was its own unit. In ancient Rome, Rome was the heart of
the empire!
In both Roman
and Greek culture, women had the responsibility of the home.
But women's freedoms were very different.
Greek Women:
In ancient Greece, except in Sparta, women
had no rights. They were the property of their husband. They had to
ask their husband's permission to leave the house or to talk to a
neighbor who came visiting.
As time went on, rights for women
remained the same.
Roman Women: During the 200 years
that Rome was a Kingdom, rights for women in ancient
Rome were similar to rights for women in ancient Greece. But as time
went on, things began to change.
During the 500 years that Rome was a Republic, Roman women could go
to the Forum to shop, chat with friends, and visit a temple, all
without asking their husband for permission.
During the 500 years that Rome was an Empire, women gained even more
freedom. Under the Empire, it was legal for women to own land, run
businesses, free slaves, make wills, inherit wealth, and get a paid
job.
In ancient Rome, only free adult men were citizens. Although
women were not citizens of ancient Rome, they enjoyed considerably
more freedom than did women in ancient Greece.