Περίληψη / Resume / Résumé

Two women, Euplia, daughter of Theodorus, from Melos, and Magia L.f. Pulchra are mentioned in the wax tablets-archive of Sulpicii, which was found at Pompeii. Euplia repeatedly appears as a debtor always acting under the tutorship of the Athenian Epichares who also stood surety for her loans. Magia L.f. Pulchra appears without a tutor and borrowed a large sum of money. Archaeological finds, new epigraphic material as well as re-assessment of published inscriptions from Melos will be used in order to shed light on the social background and the economic affairs of these two women. It seems that they were involved in long-distance trade in the Mediterranean as businesswomen who directed large scale enterprises, setting aside obstacles arising from their gender and the perils of seaborne trade.