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INTRO TO ANCIENT ROME
Outline for
Lecture 9: Patriarchy, Family & Power
Patriarchy
- patriarchy is the dominant feature of the Roman social
system.
- father rules the family; family provides a model for
political structures
- cf. Senate, whose members are patres ("fathers")
- misogyny and marginalization of women
The Roman Family
- Roman concept of family (familia) very diffuse: a
"family community" or household
- household headed by a male (usually father or husband)
called a paterfamilias
- patria potestas includes:
- absolute legal control over the lives of all children
- the legal right to expose a newborn child (i.e. only
the father's decision)
- the power to marry his children
- the right to force his children to divorce spouses
- the right to kill wife or children
- power hierarchy of the Roman family:
- everyone subordinate to paterfamilias
- women subordinate to men;
- children subordinate to parents;
- slaves subordinate to everyone
Marriage
- purposes of Roman marriage:
- to produce legitimate children
- to forge political alliances
- financial gain
- divorces put into effect for various reasons
- adultery (usually on by the wife)
- infertility (this was always the woman's fault)
- political reasons
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