Tacitus was a Roman historian who lived during the first century C.E. and isrenowned today among contemporary historians for his comprehensive writings onsubjects varying from Roman Emperors to Oratory dialogue. Tacitus is credited withwriting some of the oldest recorded descriptions of the Germanic peoples of antiquitywho lived along the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, adjacent to the province of Gallia. Tacitus’ written work
Germania
encompasses his own understanding of theGermanic peoples and is undoubtedly supplemented by stories and narratives fromindividuals who encountered these peoples themselves.
Germania
itself appears to be anethnographic work, and is undeniably a primary source for its historical period.
Germania
encompasses within it descriptions of various
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Inother words, Tacitus seems to be suggesting that the Germanic traditions concerningmarriage and matrimonial law could provide an example of ideal ethical conduct for hisown fellow Romans.The topic was obviously Tacitus’ most favoured feature of Germanic tradition ashe gave it high regard, describing it as “a serious matter: no other part of their culture onecould praise more.”
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Tacitus describes how the Germans abide strictly to monogamy,except when, “not because of lust but on account of their distinction, (they) are solicitedwith numerous matches.”
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Further on there is mention of wives, instead of husbands inthe Roman tradition, receiving dowry from their betrothed partner, suggesting thatwomen were highly valued and that men needed to display their eligibility throughwealth.
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Additionally, a bride was expected to share in “her husband’s labours anddangers” and to “dare the same things in peace and the same things in war,” suggestingthat both man and wife shared deep bonds of trust and fellowship.
Women were auctioned off as “merchandise” to the best suitor they could get in town. Beauty, though important, was not as important as the dowry the woman possessed, because it was the dowry the family provided that could exalt a man’s societal status to all new heights. Once married, women were expected to have son’s for their husbands in order to take over the family business. A barren woman was not an option and could have easily been rushed to the nearest convent to take her vows of a nun, for no honor could be brought otherwise. No woman could run from the societal and legal pressures placed upon them. Rather than run, some chose to accept their place, but, like Lusanna, some chose to fight the status quo for rights they believed they
The Apostle Paul, urged wives to obey their husbands and husband to respect their wives. This sums up the traditional idea of the family throughout Jewish history as pictured in the Bible. The man was the head of the house, however both man and woman worked together for the benefit of the family. In Ancient Israel, it was the parents who used to find a suitable match for their daughters’. One the suitable match is found, the bride’s family gives the daughter to the groom’s family and in return they were given a gift – a dowry. A married couple was an economic partnership, that is, if the man ended up penniless, his wife would be sold in slavery along with him. The wife’s first duty in the family was to give birth. A boy would’ve been preferred in order to continue her husband’s name. Children were taught by their mothers’ the required technical skills needed to participate in and eventually take over the productive and processing tasks of the family household. If a wife couldn’t conceive, she would give the family’s slave to her husband and any offspring would give the wife the ...
Roman men censured the fact that rich women were more concerned with their own figures and luxuries than with their families. Unlike the good, old-time matrons, according to the historian Tacitus around 100 CE, these modern women did not spend time with their childre...
" While this view may have been extreme even for the Greeks, they were convinced of the physical and intellectual inferiority of women. Thus, they believed that it was better for all--the woman included--that a wife should stay in the home far removed from the complicated business of the "man's world."... ... middle of paper ... ...
Antony Kamm ~ The Romans: An Introduction Second Edition, Published in 2008, pages 47, 93
Tacitus. The Annals of Tacitus. Edited and annotated by Henry Furneaux. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.
Also, that a Roman wife was expected to achieve their duties and be able to do anything for the good of the husband and family. The list of qualities Turia’s husband tells us that men’s still judged on the women obedience and virtues as wives. He let us know the qualities necessary for a happy and enduring marriage. The importance of being a good wife and having good qualities is proven to be very valuable not only in the Eulogy for a Roman wife, but also in today’s society. Marriage has become politicized, more common to divorce and
Gualtieri, a young Italian marquis, was pressured by his servants to marry. His subjects were in fear that there would not be an heir to maintain the stability of their state. Gualtieri agrees to marry, but makes it clear to his subjects that he will he will find his own wife. The marquis makes his people promise that they will not question him nor criticize his choice for a wife. “My friends, since you still persist in wanting me to take a wife; I am prepared to do it, not because I have any desires to marry, but rather in order to gratify your wishes. You will recall the promise you gave me, that no matter whom I should choose; you would rest content and honour her as your lady”, (Boccaccio 164).
Roman society operated under the authority of paterfamilias. Paterfamilias is where the oldest living male of the family was considered to be the father of the household; he had “virtual life and death authority over the entire household” (MPN, 107). He would make the all the decisions in the family, and made the rules and standards, including the moral standards that women were expected to follow. Ideal Roman women were valued for their piety, modesty, performance of womanly duties, and faithfulness to their husbands. In both their stories, Lucretia and Dido do what is necessary to maintain their image of the ideal Roman woman.
Heichelheim, Fritz, Cedric A. Yeo, and Allen M. Ward. A History Of The Roman People. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1984.
1. Tim Cornell, John Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World, Facts On File Inc, 1982. (pg.216)
Women in Ancient Rome did not have equal legal status as their husbands, fathers, or any other male figures in the society. Women are not allowed to make legal transactions without her husband’s or father’s consent. This showed how men were superior and controlled the money in the family. A woman was permanently attached to her birth family and her husband’s family, if she got married.
In the early centuries, in a relationship men were the unfaithful ones in dating and also in a marriage, women didn’t have the equality in rights as a worthy person. “Men did not commit infidelity more than women, and no sex differences were found regarding the type of
So different from today's 20 century marriages where the woman has just the same amount of power as the man. We can see this two different marriages in the play Julius Caesar. A modern day marriage between Brutus and Portia , and a marriage stuck in the Roman time era between Caesar and Calpurnia. Both marriages show love , but sometimes socio economic status can be the main character in a story . Marriages like the one between Brutus and Portia were uncommon at the time.
I was surprised at some of the facts I discovered while researching this paper topic. It is not a “black and white” simple answer topic; explaining the role of women is more complicated than that. During the early years of Rome, the role of the woman was minimal; however as Rome evolved so too did the place of women in Roman society. Rome, and its men, eventually grew to understand that women could be helpful, indeed, more than that, they could be a working partner in a su...