1. Social Relations in Ancient Rome
Heather Pastushok
4/9/08

2. Lecture Outline Slaves Men Class Women Education Marriage Burials
Family

3. Men in Society
State was modeled on the family structure and the paterfamilias
Cato the Elder, “The husband is the judge of his wife; his power has no limit; he can do what he wishes. If she has committed a fault, he punishes her; is she has drank wine, he condemns her; if she has been guilty of adultery, he kills her.”
Head of household, magistrate
Controlled right to choose marriage partners, control finances, and all other major decisions
Paterfamilias could choose to accept or deny his paternal role; that is, he could deny to recognize his own parenthood in society
By the second century a father’s absolute authority over his children, and a husband’s absolute authority over his wife were two ideas that declined

4. Women in Society
Casa fuit, domum servavit, lanam fecit: She was faithful to her husband, she looked after the home, she spun wool
Laws of Manu: “A woman, during her infancy, depends upon her father; during her youth, upon her husband; when her husband is dead, upon her sons; is she ahs no son, on the nearest relative of her husband; for a woman ought never to govern herself according to her own will.”
Gaius, a jurisconsult, says, “It should be known that nothing can be granted in the way of justice to persons under power – that is to say, to wives, sons, and slaves. For it is reasonably concluded that, since these persons can own no property, neither can they reclaim anything in point of justice.”
Jurist Ulpian says, “Women are debarred from all duties whether civil or public, and thus cannot be judges or hold magistracies.”
Cicero says, “How great will be the misfortune of that city, in which women will assume the public duties of men.”
A woman gained status in her family through her role of reproducing, and her wealth
Influenced children’s education and marriage arrangements
At times, in rare cases, women acted as the “structurally central” family member
Women’s roles seemed to have changed in the Republic and the Empire, but overall women were never truly equal to or above a man’s authority

5. Marriage in Society In manum vs. sine manu
Sine manu, lived as an equal (Empire)
Depended on father
Liberated
Shared husband’s responsibilities, but still restricted

6. Family in Society
Unlike the Greeks, Romans were strongly attracted to familiy life
Redistribute property and intangibles such as honor and the family name
Family fulfilled economic roles by means of training (senators’ sons by their fathers, etc…)
Familia rustica vs. familia urbana
Materfamilias

7. Slaves in Society No legal right to marry; de facto marriages.
The law enforced the ideas the slaves could not marry and that they always belonged to their former owner, but also acknowledged the ties they created
Regarded as chattels; subject to will of masters
Cruel freemen, got what they deserved
Relations between slaves and masters differed greatly
Cicero/Tiro, Pliny, Senator Corellius Rufus
“capital crime” for slave castration
Bound to former master
Third generation exercised full citizenship

8. Class Structure in Society
Honestiores and Humiliores
When humiliores broke laws they were subjected to the most severe punishments
Honestiores were spared punishments and had certain privileges
Two highest groups in honestiores were orders, Equestrian and Senatorial
Members of the Equestrian mimimum 400,000 sesterces
Members of the Senatorial minimum 1,000,000 sesterces

9. Education in Society
Boys and girls attended elementary school together
When primary school was finished, girls continued their education at home privately
Women were still expected to maintain their typical role in society; schooling did not get in the way of this

10. Burials in Society
Length of time corpse was displayed dependent on position in society (poor buried same day; emperor exposed for a week)
Funerals of poor and children were rushed at night
Funerals of adults and noble families occurred during the day with great show
If the person had made a great impact on public life, the procession halted in the Forum
Burial within the city was rare

11. Theatre Seating Chart

12. Conclusion
Family life played an important in Roman society and was the basis for many decisions
Women had many abilities although still tied to the man
Slaves were more respected than supposed