Topic 4 - Society Flashcards
in which instances were dictators appointed?
dictators were appointed by the consul in times of emergency with absolute powers (no right of appeal), in office for a max of 6 months, his lieutenant was known as magister equitum (master of the Cavalry), his attributes are those of a military Dictators commander
what is the Paterfamilias?
The Paterfamilias is the man who has the power over his entire household. Daughters are under the authority of their paterfamilias until they die, whether that be their father or husband although the son are only under the authority of their paterfamilias until they leave their father dies.
what is a Domus?
Domus is a household, everyone under one roof is a part of the Domus, including slaves. When the son moves away and created his own family, he creates another domus, even if he’s still under the authority of his paterfamilias. When the daughter marries, she becomes under the authority and a part of another domus
what is the gen?
The gen is the members of a great clan or family descending from an –often mythical– family member who have one name. Each gen has branches depending on which tribal name you share. This is shown within patricians and plebians, if you are not a patrician then you cannot be a priest, your gen affects your role within the society
whats the difference of the cognomen, agnomen and adoptive agnomen?
The cognomen is a personal name at the end of your name and acts as a way of differentiating people. The agnomen is when someone changes their name after a great event, i.e. conquering a place. The adoptive agnomen is when someone changes their name to show who their adoptive father is, slaves often do this when they are emancipated or change owners.
how much power did a father have over his children?
the Paterfamilias had a lot of power over their childeren, they could abandon them or technically even kill them, but not as much as they did over their slaves as you couldn’t sell your children and make money from them like you could with slaves.
what could the father do if the child was born deformed?
If your child was born deformed, the father was allowed to technically kill them, they could do this by waiting 8 days for girls or 9 for boys without naming or nurturing them, which would most likely result in death. The birth was registered at the Temple of Saturn (Rome) or governer (provinces) where you were given a tablet indicating the registration.
for boys, what marked the end of childhood?
for boys, the end of childhood was around between 14 and 16, before this they wore a toga with a strap to show they were untouchable, which was to protect them from abuse from strangers (their teachers could still hit them). They were given a bullae (amulet) to protect them from evil spirits which was given to the gods when they became a man
what is a Pecilium?
A Pecilium is a fund given to men by their father to allow them to do with what they want, this highlights that they are still under the authority of their father
what marked the end of childhood for girls?
For girls the transition went from childhood to marriage, which could be as early as age 12 , although there is discussion within sources whether it was 12 when they could get married or upon their first menstration. Most girls however, got married at around 16 or 17, where for boys it was 30 to 35. the night before they got married they were to leave their dolls at a temple to indicate the leaving behind of childhood.
what was the only thing required for a woman to get married?
the only thing that was actually required to get married was consent, this did give women some autonomy as there are some cases of women rejecting the suitors their parents chose. When a woman was getting married, the fathers constructed a contract discussing a dowry, the woman had to express concent but had very little say.
what is Manu?
Manu (with the hand) - when a woman leaves her home, her agnatic family become family of her husband and everything she brings, now belongs to her husband
what is without Manu?
without Manus – the woman did not become part of her husbands agnatic family, she remained under the authority of her paterfamilias and when her father died she became independent (in charge of her own property etc.)
what was the Romans views on slavery?
For the Romans, slavery was something not found in nature, but if you wanted to live in a world without slavery, then you’d have to abandon civilised society and live in that wild.
what can slaves be as articles of property?
As articles of property, slaves can be, bought and sold, leased out, pledged, passed on as a gift, inherited, co-owned by more than one dominus
