Vicariae, not contubernales: reassessing the conjugal relationships of sub-owned women in Roman slavery

This article reviews the evidence for epigraphically attested vicariae to challenge the widespread contention that these women were typically the wives of their ordinarii. Presenting 41 inscriptions that document women sporting the title «vicaria» – a significantly enlarged source base to that employed by previous scholars – the case is made for a diversified marriage pattern, not centred on the women’s ordinarii. The article thereby prepares the ground for a fresh take on the role of sub-ownership in the lives of enslaved women in Roman society and on sub-ownership’s role in Roman slavery more broadly.