Frieze

Gender roles

Sexual/gender division of labor

Gender and history

Carved frieze with volutes, trefoils, acanthus leaves and bunches of fruit. What is interesting is that the bunches are not grapes, but dates. It would certainly not be outrageous to assume that women could have participated in the creation of these pieces. It is a bold assumption, indeed, but it is possible to imagine that a woman’s work in a typically male trade would have been completely obscured by that of their male counterparts.

Museu Valencià d’Etnologia

Window

Gender and social class

Gender and space

Gender and history

Coupled window and columns that belonged to the Pla de Nadal Palace. This window, located on the upper floor of the palace, was an element symbolizing status, nobility and power. The limited allusions to women during the medieval period tend to refer to noblewomen who were the wives of monarchs. Politics and the public sphere were reserved entirely for men.

No queen governed in her own right; she would simply have been held in high esteem by reason of her noble influences and family wealth.

Altar

Gender and social class

Gender and space

Gender and history

This altar was part of the Pla de Nadal 2 archaeological site, which has since disappeared. It was a small chapel that belonged to the palatial complex. Religion and politics were both highly significant aspects of Visigoth society. The two were very closely linked, and regulated daily life. It was common during this era for women to be forced to take up a religious lifestyle; this way the family could save the dowry or the woman’s portion of the inheritance. Religious education was the only way that a woman could learn to read or write, as these skills were reserved for men.