[en] Even though the rol of roman women in Antiquity is becoming more and more frequent as a research subject, many of the published works focus in society's attitude towards those women instead of in the women themselves, because, due to their literal interpretation of law codes and exemplae, they don't actually say how women would behave towards them. Because of this one sided history we have the most contradictory view of the roman women, because they are represented both as well educated aristocrats preparing the next generation of citizens and as submissive silent women who under the heavy weight of tradition and pudicitia spend all their life locked up in the domus spinning alongside their slaves. Yet, in my opinion, our own prejudices are the main cause of this contradiction, because attending to Hortensia's speech transmitted by Appian (BC, 4.5.32-33) we may deduce that high class roman women actually had an stablished way to take part in politics; and regarding to the comparison Valerius Maximus makes between Hortensia and Afrania (8.3.2-3) we might even propose that what society criticized wasn't women to take part in politics, but to take part publicly when they had other ways to achieve their goals. So, if my interpretations are correct, those roman women wouldn't have felt any contradiction, quite the opposite, as long as they keep the privacy impose to them, they would have consider taking part in the city's social life and serving their families and the Republic as part of the same task. Therefore, if we set our prejudices aside, maybe we will be able to leave behind the historical cliché of women locked up at home and we will start understanding the real women who walked thought History.

[eu] Antzinaroko emakumeen historia gero eta gehiago ikertzen bada ere, argitaratzen diren lanetako askok emakumeen euren bizimodua baino gizarteak haiekiko zuen jarrera aztertzen dute, legedia eta exempla-k modu literalegian ulertzearen ondorio ez baitute emakumeen haiekiko jarrera kontatzen. Bertsio bakarrean oinarritutako historia hau dela eta iraganeko emakume haien ikuspegi oso kontraesankorra sortu da, matronak aldi berean haien semeak bizitza politikorako prestatzeko gai ziren emakume ondo hezi eta prestu gisa zein tradizioak eta pudicitia-k inposatuta etxean iruten geratu beharra zuten talde menderatu bezala aurkeztu baitira. Nire ustez, ordea, kontraesan hori geure aurreiritziek sortua da, izan ere, Apianok transmititutako Hortensiaren hitzaldiari (BC, 4.5.32-33) erreparatzen badiogu ondoriozta dezakegu elite erromatarreko emakumeek bazutela politikan parte hartzeko aukera; eta Valerio Maximok Hortensia honi eta Afraniari buruz idatziko testuak alderatzen baditugu (8.3.2-3) ikusiko dugu gizartearentzat benetan mespretxagarria ez zela matronek politikan parte hartzea, baizik eta hori espazio publikoetan egitea beste aukerak izanda. Hala, nire interpretazio hauek zuzenak badira, emakume erromatar haiek ez zuten benetan kontraesanik ikusiko, alderantziz, gizarteak inposatutako pribatutasuna mantentzen zuten artean, hiriko bizitzan parte hartzea eta haien interes politikoak zaintzea beraien familiak eta Errepublika bera zerbitzatzeko zuten modua izango zen. Beraz, aurreiritziak albo batera uzten baditugu, gai izango gara behingoz etxean giltzapetuta bizitza iruten pasatzen zuten emakumeen topikoa baztertu eta haren atzean ezkutatzen diren hezur-haragizko emakumeak aztertzeko.