The Juno Ludovisi statue has become an icon for Bryn Mawr students. A replica of the Roman portrait sits in Carpenter Library and intrigues Mawrters because of its symbolism of female power, but also because of its anonymity and mystery. Historians continue to ask questions surrounding the marble head, wondering if the sculpture was designed to fit a woman or a goddess. Many wonder if she is some divine creature because of her spiritual air and how her hair is parted to form beautiful coils, but I believe that Juno is a woman of elite status who was carved bearing defiance and grace. Archaeologists also believe this to be true and have theories about who this woman is, the two most common: Antonia Minor, mother of general Germanicus, or Livia, wife of Augustus.
While Antonia is depicted on coins and sculptures with a similar presence to Juno, I believe that Livia is who Juno represents. Like Antonia, Livia is shown in many artistic capacities with a comparable composure, but she also used her relationship with her sons, Augustus and Tiberius, to promote politics and used her financial independence to help raise children in a stable society. Her manners and will for social justice are what Juno represents and what attracts the Bryn Mawr students to Juno’s statue. No matter how historians try to twist women in Roman society, her feminine presence and power will always be inspirational.