Men, Women and Marriage Flashcards
(44 cards)
What was expected of Greek men?
provide wealth
participate in assembly
serve as a soldier
to be muscular and strong
to die a noble death
behave in a moderate manner
sort out the relationships of women in the family
What was expected of Greek women?
beauty
fidelity
fertility
produce a kyrios (male head of the household)
to weave
to look after the household - economics
How did they prevent Greek women from having illicit sexual relations and illegitimate children?
prevented illegitimate children from inheriting
mothers of illegitimate children would be publicly shamed
kept away from public so didn’t get chance to meet anyone
men and women were separated
houses segregated to prevent men and women interacting
What were the main occasions that women would emerge from the home?
religious festivals
important moments in men’s lives: birth, marriage, sending husband off to war, death
What was expected of Roman men?
master of household
provide for the home by working elsewhere
serve as a soldier + being able to fight
good at public speaking
be virtuous e.g. strong, courageous
participate in politics
What was expected of Roman women?
to stay at home and run the household
to have and care for children
produce a legitimate male heir
chores and crafts at home - weaving
modesty + chastity
marry young as a virgin
to be frugal and capable
marriage cum manu
Roman marriage where the husband has legal power over his wife
oldest living male was the head of the family and had absolute authority over his children and his wife
marriage sine manu
Roman marriage where the husband has no legal power over his wife and that is kept by her father or legal guardian
when wife moved into her husband’s home but remained under her father’s lawful authority
she did not conduct her daily life under his direct scrutiny and her husband had no legal power over her
usually involved two citizens of equal status
paterfamilias
male head of the Roman household, the father
had the right and duty to seek a match for his children and might arrange an engagement long before they became of age
expected to marry into respectable families
daughter could legitimately refuse match if she could prove the proposed husband to be of bad character
cursus honorum
official political career path for a Roman male
virtus
courage or virtue - value associated with ideal Roman man
pudicitia
chastity or modesty in sexual terms - value displayed with ideal elite Roman woman
dowry
financial treaty between families of bride and groom
patria potestas
legal absolute power of a paterfamilias over his familia including his legitimate children until he dies
Julian / Augustan laws
laws introduced first by Augustus and then by other members of the Julio Claudian family
andron
room which was only for the men in a Greek household
infamis
having no legal status in Roman society
generally actors, prostitutes or gladiators
oikos
Ancient Greek household
family, slaves, property, possessions
kyrios
head of Ancient Greek household
responsible for property, wife, children, unmarried female relatives
matrimonium
purpose of a Roman marriage was to have legitimate children
‘mater’ = mother
monogamous
Roman could have, by law, only one wife
consent
was required to marry legally and morally
both parties had to be willing and needed their fathers’ consent
age of lawful consent was 12 for girls and 14 for boys
most Roman women married in their late teens to early twenties but noble women married younger than those of lower classes
aristocratic girl was expected to be a virgin until her first marriage
deference
Roman customs idealised a married daughter’s relationship to her father as deferential and obedient, even at her husband’s expense
not always absolute
daughter kept her birth family’s name for life
children took the father’s name and some may take mother’s family name as part of theirs
in early empire, the legal standing of daughters and sons differed little - either could inherit a share of the family estate if their father died without making a will
Augustan marriage laws background
after collapse of the Republic
laws concerning marriage, parenting and adultery were part of Augustus’ program to restore traditional social norms
consolidated his power as princeps and paterfamilias of Roman state
implemented in 18BC
marriage and remarriage had become less frequent and citizen birth rate had fallen, particularly among the wealthier classes