Menstruation in Ancient Rome

[Lost_Warrior]

I haven't seen any mention of this anywhere...today we have all sorts of products, pills and gizmos to deal with "that time of the month"...but what did Roman women do? Surely they were expected to carry on the day-to-day activities required of them, despite any discomfort they might be feeling. So how did they deal?

[caldrail]

Good question. I haven't a clue what they did and I suspect it wasn't something considered polite to discuss openly in roman society, so I'd be suprised if there's any written source on this - but perhaps someone can prove me wrong?

[Nephele]

Whatever Roman women used in order to deal with their monthly cycles, you can bet they most likely didn't treat it casually. And I somehow doubt that Roman women carried on their usual day-to-day household activities or agricultural activities (for rural dwellers) during the time they were menstruating -- not because of personal discomfit but most likely because of prevailing superstition.

 

At least, one might draw this conclusion from the writing of Pliny the Elder in his Natural History (translation by Bostock and Riley):

 

"It would indeed be a difficult matter to find anything which is productive of more marvellous effects than the menstrual discharge. On the approach of a woman in this state, must will become sour, seeds which are touched by her become sterile, grafts wither away, garden plants are parched up, and the fruit will fall from the tree beneath which she sits. Her very look, even, will dim the brightness of mirrors, blunt the edge of steel, and take away the polish from ivory. A swarm of bees, if looked upon by her, will die immediately; brass and iron will instantly become rusty, and emit an offensive odour; while dogs which may have tasted of the matter so discharged are seized with madness, and their bite is venomous and incurable."

 

The belief alone that a menstruating woman's "very look, even, will...blunt the edge of steel" suggests to me that menstruating camp followers perhaps might not have always been appreciated by the Roman legions, and perhaps might even have been temporarily banned from the camp when menstruating (if not banned from the camp for other reasons).

 

-- Nephele

[Klingan]

Now that's what I call a colorful description! Obviously at least one Roman male didn't appreciate the womens menstruation cycle very much.

[Ursus]

If Romen women undergoing menses were monsters, I wonder what Spartan women on menses were like ....

[Nephele]

If Romen women undergoing menses were monsters, I wonder what Spartan women on menses were like ....

 

Hahahaha! I wonder, too!

 

Plus, that steel-blunting ability with just a mere look sounds kind of like a super-power, to me.

 

Picture a warrior woman whose own steel is perhaps impervious to such a glance (through some kind of feminine self-immunizing ritual or something) and she'd be a formidable foe against any male opponent's own steel!

 

-- Nephele

[Gaius Octavius]

Weapon of Mass Destruction!

[Melvadius]

I haven't seen any mention of this anywhere...today we have all sorts of products, pills and gizmos to deal with "that time of the month"...but what did Roman women do? Surely they were expected to carry on the day-to-day activities required of them, despite any discomfort they might be feeling. So how did they deal?

 

I cannot say for certain as this isn't something that my references directly touch on.

 

However Suzanne Dixon (1992) "The Roman Family" does make some reference in her footnotes to Amudsen, D.W. & Diers, C.J. (1970) "The Age of Menopause in Classical Greece and Rome", Human Biology 42, 79-86 so that may be worth looking up if you are interested.

[docoflove1974]

Neph, that description sounds like PMS on steroids...and monster cramps and migraines. While it probably doesn't describe what most women went through, it sounds similar today to all of the PMS jokes that we have in our society. Also, it sounds similar to what some other cultures think on the subject. I know that some Native American tribes would banish a menstruating woman from the camp, because of 'unpleasantness'--other references to ill-will!

[Lost_Warrior]

Nephele~

 

I hadn't thought about superstition involved. (It sounds like Pliny had quite a few grouchy women in his life! )

 

I wonder, would there be anything in the Roman medical texts?

[Melvadius]

Nephele~

 

I hadn't thought about superstition involved. (It sounds like Pliny had quite a few grouchy women in his life! )

 

I wonder, would there be anything in the Roman medical texts?

 

If you do a Google search for "Galen Menstruation" you will find that several people cite Galen's views on the subject, and incidently Hippocrates. Unfortunately with a quick look I didn't spot anyone actually citing full references to the specific passage from Galen that it comes from.

Edited December 30, 2007 by Melvadius

[Lost_Warrior]

Unfortunately with a quick look I didn't spot anyone actually citing full references to the specific passage from Galen that it comes from.

 

That's a shame. Worth looking into though. (I don't have access to any neat things like JSTOR lol)

[Nephele]

Nephele~

 

I hadn't thought about superstition involved. (It sounds like Pliny had quite a few grouchy women in his life! )

 

I wonder, would there be anything in the Roman medical texts?

 

Considering that the Romans relied a lot on the Greeks' medical expertise, I would suggest consulting the ancient Greek medical texts. And, if you check out the footnotes at that link I gave, you'll see references to Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Galen.

 

I dunno about "grouchy women." All this stuff still sounds like super-powers, to me. Like Wonder Woman, or Supergirl!

 

I think it would be funny, LW, if you were to change the personal statement under that blade-wielding personal photo in your profile to read: "Able to blunt cold steel with a single glance!"

 

It'd be even funnier if you could get Andrew Dalby to translate that into Latin for you.

 

-- Nephele

[Lost_Warrior]

I think it would be funny, LW, if you were to change the personal statement under that blade-wielding personal photo in your profile to read: "Able to blunt cold steel with a single glance!"

 

I didn't know I HAD a personal statement there. I don't look at my own profile much.

[Antiochus III]

It seems that many cultures treated menstruating women like a bomb close to detonation, barring them from most activities. The romans were most likely no different.

 

Antiochus III