In the museum, we looked at sculptures of ideal Roman woman. In Rome, women were expected to take care of the family, stay frugal, and devote to husband. The most important function of women was to produce children and raise the next generation. In terms of education, girls can study in their early ages, but they are not allowed to study in depth. While there are certain social expectations for women, the women enjoy a certain degree of freedom. They could own property, and a wife divorced with her husband, the husband had to give her dowry back. Women could also public places and participated in festivals with the escort of men. In addition, I had the opportunity to look at the typical interior of a Roman house. The functionality is quite similar to that of the modern houses. There is an area where the host will meet the guests, similar to modern living room. There are also bedrooms and kitchens. I saw a statue called Mortuary Statue. It was a tomb relief that shows the local style of dress and jewelry of a woman from local Palmyra. The sculpture offers a glimpse at the prosperity of Roman empire at that time. In Rome Gallery, I also saw some household items: bowls, pitchers, vases, and so on.
In the Greek gallery, there are multiples vases with paintings of myths or stories. One of the vases painted the death of Achilles. It made me feel like the Greeks were really fond of painting stories on vases, making them a medium for transmitting culture. In addition, I saw an interesting marble statue showing Hermes, the god of travel. Usually, a statue of the head of Hermes was put at important gates and crossroads, reminding me of the guarding god posters or statues in China. From a personal perspective, I am also interested in the design of the statue which the bear is as long as the face.
To conclude, visiting the Penn Museum is a great opportunity to learn about the culture and traditions of Rome and Greek. Learning Latin is not only learning a language but also connecting to the Roman culture.