#Marriage in #AncientRome
The two most common forms of Roman marriages were either one where a woman remained under her father’s control, and the other where the woman was under her husband’s control.
Most first marriages were arranged by the father of the bride and groom. There were also #dowries, that were usually “reclaimable by the wife” (Rawson, 19) in the event of #divorce.
If a woman were widowed, she was expected to not remarry for “ten months” (Rawson, 31), most likely to ensure #paternity if the widow were pregnant.
A Roman man could divorce his wife for a number of reasons, including “adulterous behavior” (Rawson, 33). However, it seems that infidelity on the husband’s part was not grounds for divorce.
Despite these oppressive traditions, it was possible for a Roman woman to have independence from both her father’s and her husband’s control: ius liberorum allowed “freeborn” (Rawson, 19) women to achieve “financial independence by bearing three children” (Rawson, 19).
However these children would be considered the property of their father.
#WomensRights #AncientHistory #Histodon #Histodons #RomanWomen