Two Types Of Marriage In Ancient Rome example essay topic

Most women in ancient Rome were viewed as property of the men who they lived with. Basically they were handed from their father to their new husband at the time of their marriage and surrendered any property they owned, or dowry they were given, to their husband (Document 1). There were however two types of marriage in ancient Rome, manus and sine manus. Under the first type, manus, the woman and all of her property and possessions were placed under the control of her husband and he could do with them how he pleased. Under the second type, sine manus, the woman remained under the control of her oldest male relative, usually her father or brother. This type of marriage gave women a lot more freedom because they could carry out their own cash transactions, own their own property, and accept inheritance money (Document 1).

Apart from the two different forms of marriage that was allowed, marriages in ancient Rome were very similar to those of the ancient Greeks. Girls married young, usually in their early teens, and many marriages were arranged by the family, usually the male head of the household. The woman was given very little say in who or when she married, but she was allowed to turn down the offer if the man was of bad character (Document 1). A man could divorce his chosen wife for any reason that he wished, though if the reason was other than adultery then the man was made to give up one half of his property to his wife (Document 1). Some reasons that men divorced their wives were: Gaius Sulpicius Gallus: "He divorced his wife because he caught outdoors with her head uncovered". Another, Quintus Antis ius Vet us, divorced his wife, "because he had seen her in public having a private conversation with a common freedwoman".

A third, Publius Sempornisus Soh us, divorced his wife, "because she had gone to the games without his knowledge". (Document 2) If a man found his wife guilty of adultery it was legal for him to kill her, but a woman could not bring charges of adultery against her husband or any other man, only another man could bring charges of adultery against another man (Document 1). The virtues expected of Roman women were fidelity, chastity, modesty, and dedication to her home and family. The women ran the household, she was in charge of overseeing the domestic slaves, planning the meals, and the biggest duty set to her was raising her children (Text Book 152). It seems that women in Greek and Roman society lead very similar lives. In both societies they were under the control of the males of the household.

Wives were considered the property of their husbands, and their main roles were to take care of the household and raise children. Daughters of the household were seen as liabilities because they needed to be taken care of, and in many instances baby girls were abandoned or killed. In a letter to his wife one man wrote, .".. Good luck to you, if you bear offspring, if it is a male, let it live; if it is female, expose it". (Document 3). In both societies it was legal for a man to kill his wife if she was convicted of adultery.

It's really not possible to say that either Greek or Roman women had it better off. They were treated the same in many instances and had the same rights and privileges. The exception to this would be women who live in Sparta. Women in Sparta enjoyed more freedoms than any other women in the ancient world. They were allowed to come and go as they pleased, unlike women in Rome or Athens who had to have a male escort with them when they left the house. They were able to own their own property, and not just because of the type of marriage they had, but because they owned it.

It seems that if you were to be a woman living in ancient times you would want to live in Sparta.