MARRIAGE, DIVORCE AND THE POWER OF THE FATHER Stage 38

Marriage (#1-2)  Purpose of marriage is to have babies - girls marry at age when they can bear children - boys marry at ag when they can support children  Due to frequent divorce and death, there can be an age discripensy between man and wife  Father picks the groom, but the consent of both bride and groom must be given

PATERFAMILIAS  Bride does not typically disagree with her father due to his paterfamilias status  paterfamilias-male head of the household with no living father or grandfather, who had unbounded powers  Held paterpotestas, powers of life and death over all of his family members- including slaves and freedmen  Retained the right to accept or reject babies if they were deformed or of dubious paternity, every newborn child was laid at their feet

Sponsalia – Engagement (#3-4)  The terms of the marriage are agreed upon by the fathers  The father of the bride gives a dos – dowry – to the husband. It was a payment (money or property)  Father of bride made promise of marriage to the father of the groom  Wedding contract is signed  Gifts are exchanged and a ring is placed on the left hand, 3 rd finger  Engagement celebration follows

Types of Marriages (#5-7) Cum Manu – Old schoolSine Manu – New School Bride belongs to husband Ceases to be member of father’s family Her property becomes the husband’s property She can not ask for a divorce even though he can Confarreatio ceremony results in this type of marriage Bride belongs to father and stays under his control Still a member of her family but lives with husband Bride still retains property Bride can ask for a divorce easy to enter into - Live together and declaring intent

Wedding Day (#8) – Bridal Preparation  Night before, bride removes bulla and dedicates it to the lares  Bride wears flammeum and tunic style dress – tunica recta  Bride wears the knot of Hercules, which only her husband unties  Bride’s hair is parted by a spear into 6 sections  Before ceremony, bride is symbolically pulled away from her mother  Bride undressed by matronae univirae (women who have had only 1 husband)

Wedding – Ceremony (#8-9)  Before the wedding, haruspex performs the sacrifice to check the omens  The hands are bound by a strap to symbolize the uniting – iunctio dextrarum  Vows are exchanged – ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia and vice versa  After the ceremony, there is a feast at the father of the bride’s house – cena nuptialis

dextrarum iunctio

After the wedding… (#8-9)  After the wedding all the guests escorted the bride to her new home  Bride had three young boys to attend her One held left hand, one held right hand, one carried a torch before her that had been lit at the hearth of her own home (the torch was thrown away as she approached her new home-whoever caught the torch was promised a long life)  Men in the procession called out rude jokes and noisy greetings to the groom  Groom greets bride at the door and carries her across the anointed door posts

The Newlyweds Nest  The brides symbolic acts when they returned to the grooms home:  Touched the hearth fire and water inside the house  Prepared for her wedding night by women who had only been married once (most girls were virgins for their first marriage)

Marriage Laws (#10)  The Roman Government, especially Augustus, made laws encourage marriage to ensure the growth in the Roman population - penalities for singles, like no inheritance - special privileges for families with 3+ children

Rights of Women (#11)  A Roman woman was under the control of her husband or father - could not vote - could not take part in political life - could not sit on a jury or appear in court  However, Roman women had more rights than many other Mediteranean women at the time - could run the house and manage the finances - could leave the house - could dine with the ment - could attend plays/entertainment - could go to the baths - could attend dinner parties with husband

Woman’s Role (#12-13)  Roman women were expected to -Have and raise children -Manage house and slaves -Weave -Obey husband -Remain faithful -Behave properly  This role was valued and known to be complicated and demanding. Women gained respect and prestige for how they ran their house.  Limited information since most literature left to us was written by men

Literature concerning Marriage (#14)  Letters and tombstone inscriptions give us a view of the average Roman’s view of married life  The lettes of Cicero and Pliny show marital bliss - Here lies Amymone, wife of Marcus, most good and most beautiful, wool-spinner, dutiful, modest, careful, chaste, home-loving - I have written these words so that those who read them may realize how much we loved each other - To my dearest wife, with whom I have lived two years, six month, three days, and ten hours.