85

Women in republican Rome were legally minors, and as such normally excluded from political privileges such as the right to vote, as well as from citizens’ duties (military service or paying taxes). Women nevertheless enjoyed the full privileges guaranteed by civil law. And although it was exceptional for them to speak in a political context, they were allowed access to certain places dedicated to the exercise of citizenship,. It is in the sphere of public religion that the term civis Romana (a female citizen of Rome) finally appears. This study shows that female citizenship did exist in Rome, in a form close to civitas sine suffragio (non-voting citizenship). Roman society was based on omnipresent inequalities and the existence of a hierarchy : distinctions were made between male citizens enjoying full citizenship, between these men and (male) citizens sine suffragio ; and between male and female citizens. Yet civic actions were for everyone a way to access a form of citizenship.