"Une certaine gravité de mœurs": norme giuridiche e concezione della donna nell’antica Roma secondo Montesquieu

Abstract

Focussing on certain passages from the Esprit des lois, this contribution high­lights Montesquieu’s tendency to consider the status of women in ancient Rome from both a legal and ethical perspective. In this regard, in addition to the author’s interest in approaching the subject from a political perspective, we note the emphasis placed on information useful for understanding its evo­lution in relation to marriage and his conviction that vigilance over women's customs was a strong point of the Roman institutional system.