Roman Customs and Educations

The Romans lived in a patriarchal society in which the father and husband were the sole provider and directors of the household. They controlled the family, including the children’s lives and future marriages. Their children’s marriages would be organised by the father, never for love, but for stability. Arranged marriages were the normality, and many got married before they reached the age of twenty. This was especially true for the women who often married those who were years older than themselves and were still expected to bear children at that young age. It is thought that some were married as young as twelve. When searching for their children’s future marital partners, fathers would often ask friends and family to help them search for unmarried children whose fathers were searching for matches. One letter recounts this, as written by Pliny the Younger found recorded in The Ancient World by R.J. Cootes and L. E. Snellgrove. “Dear Junius Mauricus, You asked me in your letter to look out for a husband for your brother’s daughter… I think young Minicius Acilianus is just the man…” This quote goes on to list his good qualities and the fact that the potential matches father is rich to the receiver of the letter. This shows how the matches as made by the fathers were often written like advertisements to entice the fathers to make the matches as it was often like a business exchange. This idea of it being a business exchange was likely especially encouraged for those of higher status. This idea of a business exchange showed how the fathers ran the household compared to the modern ideas. It was done in order to continue the family line instead of doing something for the good of their children.

Cootes, R. and Snellgrove, L., 1991. The Ancient World. 2nd ed. Essex: Longman Group UK Limited, pp.159 - 164.