When most of us think of the term “actress” now falling out of favor in terms of the more gender-neutral “actor”, we think of fame and fortune. People who are either on top of the world or diving deep into the abyss of drink and drugs – a pit largely of their own making.

We don't think of condoned rape or sexual exploitation. Perhaps in the porn industry, but most have a difficult time seeing any of those performers as real actors and actresses. The terrible conditions within such an exploitative industry have been written about time and time again. However, at one point in history, these conditions were the norm.

Gnaeus Plancius, in the year 54 BC (or BCE), was on trial having been charged with bribery. He was one of the most powerful men in Rome – a politician, in fact. In the days before our modern legal system, mudslinging was the norm. Whereas now you can only present facts related to a case in a court of law, 2,000 years ago, your enemies could throw whatever dirt they had at you.

In the midst of such mudslinging competitions, it's a good thing to have a skilled lawyer to deflect whatever vile accusations are thrown at you, and Gnaeus was able to hire a lawyer so prominent, his speeches are still studied to this very day: Cicero.

One such accusation thrown at him was that he'd raped an actress in the town of Atina, some 80 miles away, when he was young. Cicero didn't bother to deny the claim; instead, he threw up his hands and cheerfully exclaimed, “How elegantly must his youth have passed! The only thing which is imputed to him is one that there was not much harm in.”

Most of us would be shocked at such a dismissal of a rape accusation. Rape, in our modern culture, is a special kind of evil. It's dehumanizing, insidious, depraved, humiliating, and shocking. Victims live with the trauma long after it has passed, and in some ancient cultures they may have been put to death, their only value laying in their virginity or fidelity (even though rape has nothing to do with willingness). For those accused of it, it has the power to destroy reputations and careers.

How many famous men in our modern society have lost their prominence to such an accusation? Politicians have ended their campaigns or stepped down from their Congressional seats. Film directors have fled the country, actors have been jailed.

But was this unnamed girl or woman (her age as also never specified) a unique case? By Cicero's remarks, it would seem as though this behavior is hand-waved away as boys-will-be-boys, but was he just doing his lawyer thing and trying to make this out as being more common than it actually was?

Unfortunately, no. The assault and rape of actresses, including very young (minor) actresses, was quite common in Ancient Rome.

Let's Do Some History

The Greco-Roman world wasn't all that friendly towards the female sex. Throughout Greece and Rome, female infanticide was not only legal, but it was also morally acceptable, and all classes of people practiced it. A particularly shocking Roman letter from 1 BC (BCE) that's survived reads:

“Know that I am still in Alexandria. And do not worry if they all come back and I remain in Alexandria. I ask and beg you to take good care of our baby son, and as soon as I receive payment I shall send it up to you. If you are delivered of a child (before I come home), if it is a boy, keep it, if a girl discard it. You have sent me word, “Don't forget me.” How can I forget you? I beg you not to worry.”

The callousness of the way this husband instructs his wife, who has carried this baby for months, feeding it with her own nutrients, and who is at incredible risk of death through childbirth (she may not even be done growing herself) is astounding! Yet this is the norm in such a world, and it created a massive disproportion in the sex ratio.

Girls were often married off by the age of 13 to men quite older than themselves. Men were taught trades and brought up to become functioning members of society, but, especially within pagan communities, but girls weren't expected to be anything more than human incubators.

In turn, this massively increased the risk of childbirth. If they survived, it also resulted in stunted growth and many other problems that stem from teenage pregnancies. With abortion, which was also very deadly 2,000 years ago, being so common and often demanded by husbands and fathers, it's amazing that there were enough women to carry the population!

Is it any wonder that the rape of any female didn't bode ill for the man responsible?

What Was an Actress?

Carrying on with our history, what was an actress then? Women very seldom held professional roles, with Athenian women even living in different parts of the home from her husband, so wouldn't being an actress be at least a little liberating?

This is part where we come back to the problems plaguing the modern-day porn industry. Men in the theatre business were given respectable roles on stages such as the Theatre of Dionysus. Even the roles of powerful goddesses, such as Athena, were portrayed by men on the stage.

Women and girls (often starting as young as 10 or 11-years-old) put on silent comedies, often dressed in next to nothing. The audience didn't sit and respectfully watch, either. They jeered, called for the women and girls to further undress, and took leave of their better selves. The profession was largely left to slaves, who would have little choice in the matter, for freedwomen who were still incredibly limited in a society steeped in classism and misogyny.

As the poet Horace wrote, “What you have with actresses, you have with common strumpets.”

A Glimmer of Hope? The Tale of Lucinia Eucharis

We know at least several Roman actresses who managed to break out of such abusive and degrading roles and become a real celebrity, one of which being Lucinia Eucharis. Living in 1 BC (BCE), she rose to fame and prominence, taking full advantage of meager advantages Roman women had over Greek women, at least in the theater.

She was born a slave, as many actresses were, of Roman Lucinia. She was also Greek-born, not Roman. The remarkable spin on her story is that she was freed specifically because of her talent on the stage! It was said of her, “She was taught as if by the Muses' hands.”

Eucharis performed in prestigious theatres and made a respectable income solely through acting.

Take Heart

You should never resign yourself to the role society has tried to place upon your shoulders. Striving to rise above prejudice to do what we really want to do is the dream of all mankind! Such figures aren't trying to make statements or become role models, they are simply doing what they feel compelled to do, and that is a message we can all take to heart.