Social Laws and Social Facts

Cassius Dio asserts that the emperor Augustus’ social legislation arose from an imbalance in numbers between men and women among the Roman elite. This chapter considers how this statement has been understood in historical readings of the laws. It also argues that Dio’s assertion should be seen instead as one more instance of the ways that the legislation not only gives us access to knowledge about women’s lives but also attempts to generate more “knowledge” and questions about them. The chapter utilizes feminist epistemology in its discussion of legal and social matters. It is interested in facts as well as the absence of facts in locating women in ancient narratives.