This is John Batcher, conversation with the author Emma Southon, author of A Rome of One's Own, The

Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire.

This is from the Empire, Julia Felix, the year is 79 AD and the place is Pompeii.

Julia Felix is a woman alone who owns property, runs an entertainment and restaurant center in Pompeii, which was a resort for the Romans.

You know a great deal about it because it's been excavated and here

Emma makes it very clear that women had status

enough to own their own property and run their own business

despite the recommendation own property and run their own business.

Despite the recommendations of fathers and sons and husbands

that they do not have that power, Julia Felix does.

In addition, there's an anecdote about how Julia Felix died.

It was a skeleton found in the middle of the yard of her complex, clutching gold rings and necklaces.

The belief is that Emma's belief that Julia went back for her gems as Vesuvius was raining down ash on the city and she died there 2,000 years ago.

Emma Southon, a Rome of one's own, the life and possibly death of Julia Felix, much more of this tonight, many other women.

Thank you.

I think it's more commonplace than the written sources would allow you to believe when you look

at archaeology you find women running all kinds of businesses and being involved in life

in their own right, in public life in their own right,

all over.

And Pompeii is one of these places where we can see what kind of small businesses looks

like.

Julia Felix runs this entertainment complex. Basically it has a

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