Roman marriage customs Flashcards
Were marriage matches in Rome based on love?
Rarely
How would a match for an unmarried woman be chosen?
The paterfamilias, who would select appropriate matches for the unmarried women under his control.
What reasons would make a man an ‘appropriate’ match in Rome.
-Solidifying a business or a political relationship between male members of the households.
-Improving the social standing of one or both of the families.
-Financial gain for the groom’s family thanks to a large dowry.
After finding a potential husband for the young woman, what would the paterfamilias then do?
Agree to an acceptable dowry with the groom’s family.
Did The bride-to-be and the groom-to-be need to give their consent to marriage?
Yes, though young girls may have not felt able to refuse the wishes of the paterfamilias.
What did Roman law state about when a young girl could reject a fiance?
That a young girl was free to reject a fiance, but only if her father had chose a man of bad character or unworthy. For a young girl , placing such accusations seems unlikely.
How young were some girls betrothed?
As young as seven years old.
From what moment were the couple betrothed?
From the moment that both families had agreed to a match and to a dowry.
Did a betrothal change anything legally?
No, it was only a formality in Rome. The engagement could be freely cancelled at any time.
How would wealthier Roman families usually celebrate an engagement?
By throwing a party. Friends and family would be invited to the bride’s house and her groom-to-be would give her gifts.
What gift would a groom-to-be often give to the bride-to-be in Rome?
A ring to wear on the fourth finger of her left hand.
Why would the ring that the bride received be work on the fourth finger of her left hand?
Because Romans believed, based on limited understanding of the body , that there was a vein running directly from the fourth finger to the heart.
What were the two distinct type of marriages that Romans had?
Cum manu and sine manu
What does cum manu mean?
with hand
What does sine manu mean?
without hand
What happened in cum manu marriage?
The wife legally transferred to her husband’s family . Status in the family was the same as if she had been adopted. She would inherit property from her husband if he dies but not from her father.
What was the title given to woman married in cum manu?
Materfamilias, which is the mother of the Roman household and wife of the paterfamilias.
Which were more common, sine manu marriages or cum manu marriages?
Sine manu marriages, particularly in wealthy families.
What were sine manu marriages?
When the bride remained under the legal control of her original paterfamilias.
Why were Sine manu marriages probably preferred?
Because it made sure that the woman would be able to inherit from her parents and so kept money within the immediate family.
Why could sine manu marriages have been a less secure prospect for a woman?
They did not require a dowry, so the husband could easily choose to divorce her with no dowry to repay.
In sine manu marriages, which part of the family were they considered to be part of?
Their father’s family.
In cum manu marriages, which part of the family were considered to be part of?
The same family as their mother and father.
What was a coemptio wedding ceremony?
A Roman wedding ceremony where the bride was symbolically sold to her new husband.
What was a confarreatio wedding ceremony?
A traditional patrician (noble class) wedding ceremony.
What was a usus wedding ceremony?
A very popular marriage with no formal wedding ceremony.
What type of marriage did a coemptio wedding ceremony result in?
A cum manu marriage.
What type of marriage did a confarreatio wedding ceremony result in?
A cum manu marriage.
What type of marriage did usus result in?
A sine manu marriage.
What would happen in a coemptio wedding ceremony?
A man would hold a set of banking scales. The bride’s paterfamilias would present a single coin representing the dowry, in the scales and thus ‘sold’ her.
Why were coemptio wedding ceremonies only used for cum manu marriages?
Because this type of wedding ceremony was all about exchanging property.
What would happen in a confarreatio wedding ceremony?
central part of the ceremony was an offering made by the bride and groom to Jupiter. They offered a ceremonial cake in the presence of Rome’s chief priest, the Pontifex Maximus. Ceremony was presided over by a woman known as pronuba.
Who was a pronuba?
A Roman citizen woman who had been married only once and was still married to this man.
What happened in marriage by usus?
No formal ceremony at all. Couple simply declared that they wanted to be married, and the bride moved to the groom’s house. Although no formal ceremony, it would have been celebrated in a similar way to coemptio and confarreatio weddings.
What was the most common type of marriage out of coemptio, confarreatio, and usus marriages?
Usus
If a wife wanted to remain a member of her paterfamilias’ household and not come under the control of her husband , would would she need to do?
She would need to be married by usus, but had to spend three consecutive nights away from her husband’s house each year. If she stayed for a whole year without taking a break like this, the marriage would become cum manu, and she was legally transferred to her husband’s family.
On the day before her wedding, what would the bride-to-be do in Roman weddings?
Make sacrifices to the lares of her bulla, which had protected her throughout childhood, and her toys.
What was the lares?
The Roman family’s household gods, representing the spirits of the family ancestors.
What would the bride do on the morning of her wedding in Roman weddings?
She would put on her wedding dress and knot a wollen belt around her waist. Only her new husband would be allowed to unknot the belt once the wedding celebration was complete.
As well as her wedding dress, what would a Roman bride wear on the morning of her wedding?
A flame-coloured veil, and her hair in six seperate locks, like the vestal virgins.
Where would a Roman wedding ceremony itself take place?
In the bride’s father’s house.
What would happen after the wedding ceremony itself in Roman weddings?
There would be a lavish wedding feast and then began the procession to the husband’s home.
What would happen in the procession to the husband’s home in Roman wedding ceremonies?
The groom would dramatically grab the bride in a pretend show of force, and the celebrants would then escort the married couple through the streets, singing wedding hymns.
What would be carried by friends and relatives during the wedding procession in Rome?
Spindles, to represent the bride’s domestic tasks.
What would the groom throw to the crowds during the wedding procession in Rome?
Small treats (nuts, dried fruits)
What would the bride carry and drop during the wedding procession in Rome?
Three coins, One dropped during the procession as an offering to Janus, one was for her husband to symbolise her dowry, and one was offered to the Lares of her new household.
When they arrived at the groom’s house, what would happen?
The bride would wrap wool around the door posts, symbolising her domestic role, and she would she would be carried across the threshold by her new husband.
Why would the bride be carried across the threshold by her new husband when they arrives at the groom’s house?
It was believed that if the bride tripped on her way into the house, it would be a terrible omen.
What is an omen?
A sign from the gods
At the groom’s house, where would the wife be led to?
The hearth, which she would light using a torch from the wedding procession, and the couple would be led to their wedding couch
Who is Janus?
God of transitions, beginnings ,and endings.
