Similarly to Greek Antiquity, a lot of acquisitions from this epoch have survived until today, such as the basis of Civil Law emerged from parts of the Roman Law[1], philosophical prospectives, the development of the Romance languages, etc. At its peak "Rome controlled the whole Mediterranean region".[2] In the early days of this epoch, the people was subdivided in two categories: the old influential Roman families – called Patricians – and the ordinary people, the Plebeians.[3] The centuries were marked by wars. The Roman Kingdom and Roman Republic were followed by the Roman Empire. The year 284 AD, under the emperor Diocletian, marked the transition to Late Antiquity. A further consequence of which was the triumph of Christianity.[4] There exist good sources regarding the women's position in society for the later part of this period. Generally women and men did not enjoy equal rights[5], for example women were not authorized to hold political office. Marriages were arranged for girls at a very young age.[6] Emphasis was put on the economic or political benefit this relationship engendered for both families. Women could do business and were allowed to own property. Women were expected to lead virtuous, chaste, frugal and modest lifes.[7] As opposed to women in the Ancient Greece, Roman women were not confined to women's place in the home and could move more freely in the public room. Towards the end of the epoch girls were permitted to visit schools. Female members of the Emperors' households[8] had partial influence on their husbands as well as political events.[9] Certain Roman scholars (Cato the elder, Cicero) did not consider women as equal to men, he qualified them as less intelligent and physically inferior.[10] Women were not allowed to perform sacrifices, either. The Vestal Virgins, priestesses of the goddess Vesta, however, possessed a special status.[11] It was their duty to cultivate the sacred fire that should never go out, because it was considered the symbol for political stability in the Empire. There were also not-roman cults (such as Cybele, Isis) that had emerged from the oriental mysteries where men and women enjoyed equal rights in religious practices.[12] Prostitution in Ancient Rome was no rarity as is confirmed both by literary references as well as murals from Pompeij.[13] At that time it was thought that the uterus wandered around in the female body and that it was only held in place through regular sexual intercourse or pregnancy.[14] Certain deseases were supposed to be curable by tinctured cotton balls that had been introduced into the vagina."[15]