CLST 103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Potestas, Pater Familias, Anatolia
15 Jun 2018
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WEEK 9
March 14, 2017
Father had a lot of power in the family. Had the power of life of death of all members of the
household—wife, children, and slaves.
Three different ways to have a marriage in ancient Rome.
It was possible to get divorced in ancient Rome.
- Sometimes done in order to make a political alliance
o Divorce wife, and marry daughter of a political ally
o E.g. Tiberius was forced to get divorced
- 230 BCE
o Carvilius Ruga was the first man to divorce
- A woman could divorce at will
- If husband wanted to divorce his wife, he could just say: Uxor, uade foras = wife get out
of the house
- The dowry passed to the husband at the time of the wedding had to be returned
- After the divorce the children were always the potestas of the father
The virtues of the ideal Roman woman:
- Uniuira = with one husband
- Lanifica = working in wool
- Domiseda = staying at home
The father was usually the first to die because he was much older than the mother
Inheritance:
- On the death of the paterfamilias, sons, daughters (if not emancipated) and the wife (if
under manus) inherited in equal portions
- In absence of heirs (herdes) and will the property passed to the nearest relative in male
line
- Law in 40 BCE—the heir should receive at least ¼ of the estate
- Heirs by adoption
o If a paterfamilias was old and about to die but did not have any heirs, he would
adopt a young man
- 169 BCE Lex Voconia: woman banned from inheriting as heirs → legacy or
fideicomissum (trust)
Parent and Child
- Parent child bond = patria potestas
- Most fathers preferred having sons rather than daughters
- If the child was not the gender he wanted, or had some problems, the father could expose
the child – get rid of them
- If the father had too many daughters, he had to provide dowries for each of them, so they
preferred to expose the daughter and have someone else taking care of her.
- Many romans did not have a living father by the time they were 15
o They were raised by widow mothers and slaves
▪ Mamma (pl. mammae) and tata (pl. tatae) = nurse/nanny
Master and slaves
- Deliciae = favourite
- Uerna (pl. Uernae) = house-born slave
- Alumni = foster children
The family under the reign of Augustus
- Adultery and extra-marital sex became a public offence for the first time
- Marriage and children were a duty of the citizen to the state
- The power of the paterfamilias to kill a daughter taken into adultery was limited
- The divorce should be in front of witnesses
- Privileges to those who had children
- Intervened in the private rights of inheritance of the childless
- The emperor gave himself the right to intervene in family lawsuits
The ideal roman house
- Fauces = entrance of the house—literally means throat
- *
- *
- *
- Amici = friends
- Familiars = intimate friends
- Triclinium (pl. triclinia) = dining room
- Oecus = *
- *
- There was a shrine for the household gods (laraium)
- Genius = birth spirit of the master
- Negotia (business) vs. otium (leisure)
o Public life vs. private life
o Atrium vs *
March 16, 2017
Romans lived in houses and apartment blocks
- The poor predominatly lived in apartments
Document Summary
Father had a lot of power in the family. Had the power of life of death of all members of the household wife, children, and slaves. Three different ways to have a marriage in ancient rome. It was possible to get divorced in ancient rome. Sometimes done in order to make a political alliance: divorce wife, and marry daughter of a political ally, e. g. 230 bce: carvilius ruga was the first man to divorce. If husband wanted to divorce his wife, he could just say: uxor, uade foras = wife get out of the house. The dowry passed to the husband at the time of the wedding had to be returned. After the divorce the children were always the potestas of the father. The father was usually the first to die because he was much older than the mother. On the death of the paterfamilias, sons, daughters (if not emancipated) and the wife (if under manus) inherited in equal portions.
