The Lex Oppia was passed in 215BC, shortly after Rome's catastrophic defeat by Hannibal at Cannae. The new law not only restricted a woman's wealth but the display of that wealth also. It specifically forbade females from owning more than half an ounce of gold, to dress in any purple-trimmed or coloured garments, and to ride horse-drawn vehicles. At the time, it was thought that ostentatious displays of private wealth might promote greed and corruption within the Republic, subverting the values of society at a time when they mattered the most. Lex Oppia was later repealed in 195BC, after the eventual defeat of Carthage in the Second Punic War.
