Family Life in Ancient Rome

Family Life in Ancient Rome

Family was an important part of ancient Roman culture and society. Much of Roman law was written around protecting the basic structure of the family. The family you belonged to had a lot to do with your place in Roman society and whether you were considered a patrician or a plebeian.

Family Life in Ancient Rome

The Familia

In Rome, the term “familia” referred to more than just a mother, father, and offspring. It also covered every member of the household, including freedmen, clients, servants, and slaves. Some families in Rome became very large as a result. The emperor’s family frequently numbered in the thousands.

The Paterfamilias

The father, often known as the “paterfamilias,” was the family’s legal head. In the home, he was the oldest male still alive. The other household members were subject to the legal authority of the paterfamilias. He set the marriages of his children and punished any member of the family who defied him. He might even have family members executed in ancient Rome, but this rarely occurred.

Powerful Roman Families

For the Romans, a family’s lineage had great significance. A “gens” was a collective collection of families that had a common ancestor. The most illustrious and influential Roman families belonged to a gens known as “patricians.” In Roman society, one’s social standing was guaranteed by being born into a patrician family.

Marriage

Generally speaking, the paterfamilias had the last word in who his children married. Politics played a major role in arranging many of the marriages between Rome’s elite families. Roman men married only one lady at a time, in contrast to many other ancient cultures. However, divorce was fairly common and may be started by the wife or the husband.

Children

Roman families typically loved and cared for their children. Boys held particular significance since they would continue the family name. The midwife would set the newborn down on the ground. If the father took it up, then it was the only one allowed in the family. If not, the kid would be left outside to perish from exposure. Occasionally, other families would save abandoned babies and raise them as slaves.

Slaves

Members of the Roman family who had them were also slaves. In most cases, freedmen—slaves who had bought or earned their freedom—were nevertheless regarded as members of the family.

Facts About Family Life in Ancient Rome

• The power of the father in the family was called his “potestas.” The rest of the family was under the “potestas” of the paterfamilias.
• Poor families would sometimes sell their children into slavery if they could not afford to feed them. As bad as this sounds, this sometimes meant a better life for the child.
• The mother of the family was called the “materfamilias.”
• The paterfamilias was responsible for the actions of the members of his family.
• The Romans also adopted children into the family. Sometimes an adult male might be adopted into a family if there was no heir. This helped to carry on the family name.
• Generally, once a member of a family, one was not allowed to leave the family without the consent of the paterfamilias.

Read also: Clothing and Fashion of Ancient Rome