A new exhibition at the Pompeii Archaeological Park, titled “Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii,” aims to correct centuries of historical neglect by highlighting the lives of real women from the ancient city. Through frescoes, artifacts, inscriptions, and an interactive app, the show presents the stories of entrepreneurs, priestesses, innkeepers, artisans, sex workers, and slaves—including Clodia Nigella, a public pig-keeper; Faustilla, a pawnbroker; Asellina, a tavern owner who employed bar workers and sex workers; Julia Felix, an independent property owner who rented out her bathhouse; and Eumachia, a businesswoman. Co-curated by archaeologist Francesca Ghedini, the exhibition uses archaeological evidence to reconstruct the personalities and daily activities of these women, whose roles have long been obscured by male-dominated historical narratives.
This exhibition matters because it challenges the traditional, male-centric view of ancient Roman society and restores visibility to women who were active in commerce, religion, and social life. By foregrounding figures like Asellina, who could influence local elections despite being unable to vote, and Julia Felix, who leveraged her inheritance for economic independence, the show reveals the nuanced agency women held within a patriarchal system. It also demonstrates how modern archaeology and digital tools can recover marginalized histories, offering a more complete and equitable understanding of classical civilization that resonates with contemporary conversations about gender and historical representation.