Family and Familia in Roman Law and Life

March 04, 2022 Post a Comment

Role of family in Ancient Roman society

The Ancient Roman family unit was a circuitous social structure based mainly on the nuclear family, but could also include various combinations of other members, such every bit extended family members, household slaves, and freed slaves. Ancient Romans had different names to draw their concept of family, including "familia" to describe the nuclear family and "domus" which would take included all the inhabitants of the household.^[1] The types of interactions between the dissimilar members of the family were dictated by the perceived social roles each member played. An Aboriginal Roman family's structure was constantly changing as a result of the low life expectancy and through marriage, divorce, and adoption.^[2]

Ara Pacis showing the Purple Family of Augustus

Fathers [edit]

Ancient Romans placed the father at the head of the family. 1 definition of the term "familia" translates to "the group of people who descend from the same pater," where pater means "father".^[2] ^: 17 From this definition, a father and all his children are part of his familia, every bit are the children of his sons. The children of his daughters, still, would become part of their father's familia.^[2] ^: 17 At the head of the entire familia was the paterfamilias. The paterfamilias was the oldest living male of the family. If he had living sons, even grown men with their own families, those sons would however be under the power of the paterfamilias.^[2] ^: 17

In Ancient Rome, fathers were endowed with almost limitless ability over their family unit, especially their children. This patria potestas, or "the father'south power" gave him legal rights over his children until he died or his children were emancipated.^[3] ^: 36 These powers included the right to arrange marriages or force divorce, betrayal a new born child if he did non want him/her, and even disown, sell, or impale his child.^[2] ^: 17 Fifty-fifty though a male parent had these legal rights, it did not mean these acts were common. Fathers wanted their children as heirs for the continuation of their bloodlines. Ancient Romans believed the patria potestas was first dictated past Romulus, the founder and beginning king of Rome.^[4] Legally, if a kid did not share the father's citizenship, he or she was not under his patria potestas.^[5]

Mothers [edit]

A woman in Ancient Rome was under the social expectation to go a wife and mother. Despite the importance of the mother in the family construction as the bearer of the children, she had no legal control over her children.^[ii] ^: xx Examples of mother-child relationships in ancient sources, if discussed at all, focus on describing her as the idealized Roman Matrona. A Roman Matrona was a strong, virtuous woman dedicated to the political advancement of her family.^[2] ^: 20 Marcus Aurelius provides a rare insight into the appreciating relationship between mother and son in a letter describing an afternoon spent with his mother playfully arguing and gossiping.^[6] The lack of literary word may have resulted because so many children never knew their mothers, who often died in childbirth. It was also the example that young children often had more than contact with their moisture nurse or pedagogue than their female parent.

Children [edit]

Starting a family unit [edit]

The nuclear family of father, mother, and children was essential to the Ancient Roman family unit structure. Although mothers gave birth to many children, the size of a Roman family remained relatively small because of the high infant and child mortality rate. 20-five percent of infants died within their get-go year, while another 25% died before their tenth birthday.^[2] ^: 16 Such a high charge per unit meant women had to bear multiple children because many would non arrive to adulthood. However, for couples who did not want to become meaning, there were forms of contraception available to them, as well every bit abortion.^[2] ^: 26–27

Life course [edit]

In infancy, a new born was either accepted into the family by his/her father in a ritual chosen tollere liberum or the child was exposed by the father, ofttimes without the consent of the mother.^[3] ^: 39 Exposure differed from infanticide and the abandoned child was ofttimes taken and raised by someone else. A kid was considered an baby until he/she was seven years old. At this fourth dimension, boys would begin their education and exist introduced to public life.^[3] ^: 35–36 Girls remained in the household to learn the skills they would need every bit wives and mothers. Legally, a girl was considered a child until she was twelve years old and a male child until he was fourteen years one-time. Immature girls were often engaged at twelve years old and married at thirteen to a man called by her begetter.^[two] ^: 37 Males transitioned to adulthood during the toga virilis ceremony when they received the white toga worn by adults.^[3] ^: 67 Babyhood ended for women in one case they were married, but they were all the same considered childlike because of their weaker dispositions compared to men.^[3] ^: 36

Sarcophagus depicting children at play

Moisture nurses and pedagogues [edit]

Within the household, infants and children would have interacted with servants and household slaves. During infancy, babies were ofttimes nursed and cared for by wet nurses, or nutrix. Nurses were used by families of every social level and were frequently employed when the female parent had died from childbirth, was unable to produce milk, wanted to become pregnant over again quickly or was ill.^[1] ^: 26 ^[three] ^: 41 A nurse, besides having a moral character, was expected to speak properly because her close interaction with her accuse was highly influential to the child's development.^[seven]

Pedagogues, or male tutors, were minders for both male and female children.^[3] ^: 45 He could be of servile or complimentary condition and was responsible for teaching the children proper etiquette and life skills.^[iii] ^: 45 Pedagogues were likewise chaperons and tutors. Similarly to wet nurses, pedagogues were employed by families of all social classes.^[1] ^: 48

Adoption [edit]

Since the mortality rate of children in Ancient Rome was so loftier, many parents needed to adopt. This was likewise common if parents were unable to have children. Adoption normally occurred because of the need to have heirs to continue the family unit name. Most often a nephew or a grandson was adopted if the couple itself did not have a son. This was especially prominent among the Roman emperors. Julius Caesar, for instance, adopted his grandnephew Gaius Octavius (later on known as Emperor Augustus) because he had no sons to succeed him. In some instances, masters would free their slave in lodge to officially adopt him into the family. By doing so, the slave could take on the family name and become an heir.

Elderly [edit]

Greek pottery showing Aeneas carrying his elderly father

The average life expectancy in Ancient Rome at birth was 27 years old.^[two] ^: 16 Early deaths in women were common because of the dangers of childbirth and men ofttimes died on the battlefield. Those who lived to an elderly age expected their children to take care of them. In the 2nd century Advertising, laws were passed stating a son should care for his elderly father, withal there was no compulsory obligation.^[viii] ^: 132 Children cared for their elderly parents because of their belief in pietas, or a sense duty to their parents and the gods.^[8] ^: 132 A mythological example of pietas comes from the story of Aeneas, who carried his elderly male parent out of the burning city of Troy following the Trojan War.^[3] ^: 119

Slaves [edit]

The Ancient Roman definition of domus consisted of anybody living in the household, which included slaves. Slaves were a abiding presence in a Roman family unit. A significant example were the wet nurses and pedagogues who cared for and raised the children. Upper class Roman families oftentimes included space for their slaves in the family burial site and in exchange the slaves ensured their master received proper burial rites when he died.^[five] Information technology was common for slaves to exist manumitted, or freed, past their master and get his dependents every bit freedmen. It was upwards to the master to free a slave.

Freedpersons [edit]

Funerary stele for the freedman Marcus Asellius Clemens, his married woman, and their freedman

Freedpersons, or liberti, were ex-slaves who were freed.^[2] ^: 186 Although free, many liberti continued to work for their previous main. When freed, liberti took on the proper noun of their principal, thereby standing the family proper noun.^[8] By taking their master'south name, liberti were considered part of the familia, not merely the domus. Similar slaves, freedmen and freedwomen, with their families, were provided burial space with the familia.^[viii] ^: 216

Spousal relationship [edit]

The ancestry of a new Roman family unit began with spousal relationship. Union was a ways to provide sons to serve Rome.^[2] ^: 24 Women were married young, normally to men much older than themselves. These girls in their tardily teens may accept already been married one time before.^[2] ^: 37 Marriages were arranged by family members, normally the father, particularly in the upper classes where marriages created political alliances.^[ii] ^: 38 Marriage, and even divorce, did not have to exist ratified by the land ^[9] A elementary agreement between both parties was the only necessity. A marriage, for the upper classes, consisted of a wedding procession, where the woman was carried from her old home to the home of her new husband, accompanied by people singing wedding ceremony songs.^[2] ^: 94–40 Once married, the wife became a function of her married man'southward family and gained the title of materfamilias, or "mother of a household".^[nine] A wife held the same holding rights as a daughter and, therefore, could non receive her hubby's property until his death.^[ix] Once a wife, a woman would quickly also become a mother. Society taught women that their virtually valuable contribution to Rome was to give nascency to many sons.

Divorce and remarriage [edit]

Divorce and remarriage were common in Roman lodge. Since so many marriages were bundled, the couple did non necessarily expect romance, but did hope to live in harmony, or concordia.^[2] ^: 44 If a marriage did not work out, divorce was every bit easily obtained every bit the matrimony had been because the country did not need to ratify either. However, it was common to consult advice from shut family or friends earlier getting a divorce.^[9] Both the man and the woman could request a divorce.^[9] ^: 443 The divorce procedure normally contained a verbal formula, in which the parties confirmed the end of the marriage.^[9] ^: 446 A father could force his child to go a divorce through his patria potestas, even if the marriage was happy. Divorce became increasingly mutual in the upper classes by the terminate of the Republic and the showtime of the Imperial periods because so many marriages were based on politics.^[2] ^: l If a human lost favor politically, a wife might divorce him to protect her family unit'south reputation. In a divorce, the woman's family unit would normally inquire the husband to render her dowry.^[ii] ^: 50 This was possible simply if the wife was innocent of any criminal offence. If her husband divorced her because of a transgression like adultery or failure to perform her duties in the home, a wife could not have her dowry returned.^[ix] ^: 441

Remarriages were a result not only of divorce, only likewise of the high mortality charge per unit in Ancient Rome. A husband could remarry if his wife died in childbirth, a married woman could remarry if her husband died at war, and either could remarry if the other died from illness, an blow, or old historic period.^[1] Divorce and remarriage could greatly alter the family structure by creating blended families. Stride parents and step siblings were often added to the family. When a man remarried his children lived in his new household and their female parent, if notwithstanding live, would rarely see them again.^[1]

Infidelity [edit]

Both men and women had affairs in Ancient Rome. The departure was it was socially acceptable for a married man to have an thing with a slave or a lower class woman.^[2] ^: 51 Information technology was never acceptable for a married woman to have an affair with anyone. She was expected to remain faithful to her hubby, fifty-fifty if she knew he was having an affair.^[ii] ^: 54 Although women had affairs, it is hard to make up one's mind how common the practice was. The only exception for a man was he was not supposed to have a relationship with another upper class, married woman.^[two] ^: 54 However, during the Imperial flow, it became more mutual for men to have affairs with upper class women. Some literature from Aboriginal Rome even gave advise on the best location to meet a mistress. In Ovid's verse form, The Fine art of Beloved, he describes meeting women at a public location, similar the circus or a equus caballus race, to avoid detection.^[ten] Because married couples had carve up bedrooms, it was easy for a man to have an affair, just a woman was closely monitored past the household staff, which fabricated having an affair within her ain home almost impossible.^[3] ^: 31 If a adulterous wife was caught by her husband with her lover, her husband had the legal right to kill the adulterer and immediately divorce his wife.^[xi]

Kinship terms [edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help past adding to information technology. (April 2020)

The kinship terms in the Latin language follow the Sudanese kinship system. Latin has a discussion for every role in the system. The terminology used past anthropologists when analyzing kinship in cultures is often derived from Latin (words like amitalocality, patrilineal).^[12]

Encounter also [edit]

Aboriginal Rome
Family
Matrimony

References [edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Bradley, Keith R. Discovering the Roman Family: Studies in Roman Social History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^m ^h ⁱ ^j ^g ⁵⁰ ^k ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v Shelton, Jo-Ann. As the Romans Did: A Sourcebook in Roman Social History. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^eastward ^f ^{one thousand} ^h ⁱ ^j Harlow, Mary, and Ray Laurence. Growing Upwardly and Growing Sometime in Ancient Rome: A Life Course Approach. London: Routledge, 2002.
^ Fontes Iuris Romani Antejustiniani (2nd ed.,Florence,1940-1943)
^ ^a ^b Dixon, Suzanne. The Roman Family. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Printing, 1992. Accessed Oct 20, 2015. ACLS Humanities eBook.
^ Marcus Aurelius,Fronto'southward Letters, 4.half-dozen
^ Quintilian, The Elements of Oratory, 1.ane.4-5
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Rawson, Beryl, and Paul Weaver, eds. The Roman Family in Italian republic: Status, Sentiment, Space. Oxford: Clarendon, 1999.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Treggiari, Susan. Roman Matrimony. Oxford: Clarendon Press,1991.
^ Ovid,The Fine art of Love, 1.135-163
^ Acta Divi Augusti(Rome, 1945),/
^ Schwimmer, Brian (August 2003). "Latin Kin Terms". world wide web.umanitoba.ca. Academy of Manitoba. Retrieved 3 April 2020.

External links [edit]

Bruun, Christer; Edmondson, Jonathan, eds. (January 2015) [2014 (impress)]. "Appendix 4 Roman Kinship Terms". The Oxford Handbook of Roman Epigraphy. Oxford. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195336467.005.039. Retrieved 3 April 2020.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_in_ancient_Rome

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