![]() Legally, a girl was considered a child until she was twelve years old and a boy until he was fourteen years old. : 35–36 Girls remained in the household to learn the skills they would need as wives and mothers. At this time, boys would begin their education and be introduced to public life. A child was considered an infant until he/she was seven years old. : 39 Exposure differed from infanticide and the abandoned child was often taken and raised by someone else. In infancy, a new born was either accepted into the family by his/her father in a ritual called tollere liberum or the child was exposed by the father, often without the consent of the mother. However, for couples who did not want to become pregnant, there were forms of contraception available to them, as well as abortion. : 16 Such a high rate meant women had to bear multiple children because many would not make it to adulthood. Twenty-five percent of infants died within their first year, while another 25% died before their tenth birthday. 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. The nuclear family of father, mother, and children was essential to the Ancient Roman family structure. It was also the case that young children often had more contact with their wet nurse or pedagogue than their mother.Ĭhildren Starting a family The lack of literary discussion may have resulted because so many children never knew their mothers, who often died in childbirth. : 20 Marcus Aurelius provides a rare insight into the affectionate relationship between mother and son in a letter describing an afternoon spent with his mother playfully arguing and gossiping. A Roman matrona was a strong, virtuous woman dedicated to the political advancement of her family. : 20 Examples of mother-child relationships in ancient sources, if discussed at all, focus on describing her as the idealized Roman matrona. Despite the importance of the mother in the family structure as the bearer of the children, she had no legal control over her children. Mothers Ī woman in Ancient Rome was under the social expectation to become a wife and mother. Legally, if a child did not share the father's citizenship, he or she was not under his patria potestas. Ancient Romans believed the patria potestas was first dictated by Romulus, the founder and first king of Rome. ![]() Fathers wanted their children as heirs for the continuation of their bloodlines. : 17 Even though a father had these legal rights, it did not mean these acts were common. : 36 These powers included the right to arrange marriages or force divorce, expose a new born child if he did not want him/her, and even disown, sell, or kill his child. This patria potestas, or "the father's power" gave him legal rights over his children until he died or his children were emancipated. In Ancient Rome, fathers were endowed with nearly limitless power over their family, especially their children. If he had living sons, even grown men with their own families, those sons would still be under the power of the pater familias. The pater familias was the oldest living male of the family. : 17 At the head of the entire familia was the pater familias. The children of his daughters, however, would become part of their father's familia. : 17 From this definition, a father and all his children are part of his familia, as are the children of his sons. One definition of the term familia translates to "the group of people who descend from the same pater," where pater means "father". Fathers Īncient Romans placed the father at the head of the family. An Ancient Roman family's structure was constantly changing as a result of the low life expectancy and through marriage, divorce, and adoption. The types of interactions between the different members of the family were dictated by the perceived social roles each member played. Ancient Romans had different names to describe their concept of family, including "familia" to describe the nuclear family and "domus" which would have included all the inhabitants of the household. ![]() The Ancient Roman family was a complex social structure based mainly on the nuclear family, but could also include various combinations of other members, such as extended family members, household slaves, and freed slaves. ![]() Gold glass portrait of husband and wife (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Museo Sacro
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |