Family and Social Structure

By: Simran, Liayana, Gagan and Hasneet

Key Terms

Family

• Paterfamilias –the head of the family (usually the male).

• Res publica or “common concerns”- interest of all the father’s in the community.

• Latin word for country comes from the word, patria, which means “belonging to the father.”

Social Structure

• Nomen- second name or “last name”.

• Cognomen- third name or “nickname”

• Proles- “offspring”.

Family life in Rome

• In ancient Rome, families were usually dominated by men. At the head of an ordinary Roman family the eldest male looked after the family’s business, property and performed religious rites as well – also known as the paterfamilias.

• Paterfamilias were in charge of teaching the younger males in the family.

• Essentially, in Roman families each individual had a particular role

• The mother in the family was less important than the father in a Roman family.

• The women did not have any potential rights other than maintaining the household.

• The women were expected to be in charge of the household chores and other duties including cooking, cleaning, and raising the children.

• If indeed the women were from a wealthy family, the slaves would usually be in charge of all household duties.

• Many of the women died at approximately 30 years of age, since childbirth is was dangerous.

• Young girls were married off at the age of 14

Typical Roman family – mother raising her

children

Family life in Rome Cont’d

• The father was the most important in the family

• The father had the power to decide life over death on everyone in the family

• When a new baby was born it would be laid at its father's feet - if the father picked the baby up it would live, but if he ignored the baby it would be taken away to die.

• The man was allowed to divorce his wife if she did not give birth to a son.

• Children were not allowed to disrespect elders, and if they did, they would be kicked out of their home.

• Rome first became a state when a bunch of families joined together in order to ensure everyone’s survival from natural disasters and enemy attacks.

Ordinary Roman family consisting of the parents, son and daughter

Family life in Rome Cont’d

Education• In Rome, children would not go to school since

only rich families could afford the cost of paying for a teacher.

• Many girls either, did not go to school but instead they were sometimes taught at home by a tutor.

• Boys that came from wealthy families, they were able to learn things like history, math and literature at school, which essentially prepared them for jobs or the military

• In poor families, the children did not have much of a choice but to help their parents

A poor Roman family – children are supporting parents into their work to

maintain a living.

Family life in Rome Cont’d

Food• Rich Roman families would usually

have their food cooked by slaves – light breakfast, mid-day snack (bread/cheese), dinner (pork/hare/beef)

• Poor Roman families would eat vegetable soup, porridge and bread in their day to day life. If they were ever able to get meat that would have been a luxury to them since it was hard to obtain meat unless they lived in the countryside.

Rich families ate cheese and bread

Poor families ate porridge

Social Structure in Rome

Reputation• A man’s social status in society was determined by his first and last name.

• To receive a third name, a middle name, it would be based on their character, physical traits, family property, personality, or place of birth.

• A first name showed respect to the family.

• Women had only one name.

• Fathers sent their children nine versions of his nomen, “last name”. That meant that children were sent to schools or tutors to learn, and would all have the same names.

• To divert confusion, they were called “the older” or “the younger”.

• Women might also have a second name based on their father’s cognomen, or “nickname.”

People in Social Structure

• Augustus was the first emperor of Rome. He replaced the Roman republic with an effective monarchy and during his long reign brought peace and stability. At home, he embarked on a large programme of reconstruction and social

reform. Rome was transformed with impressive new buildings and Augustus was a patron to Virgil, Horace and Propertius, the leading poets of the day. Augustus also ensured that his image was promoted throughout his empire by means of statues and coins.

Augustus expanded the equestrian order and hired them into senior administrative positions. By the end of the first century, equestrians were recruited into the Senate.

People in Social Structure Cont’d

• The ancient Roman proletariat was recognized by King Servius Tullius as the lowest class of Roman citizens. Because of the slave-based economy, proletarian wage-earners had a hard time getting money. Later, when Marius reformed the Roman army, he paid the proletarian soldiers. The bread and circuses made famous during the roman Imperial period and mentioned by the satirist Juvenal, were for the benefit of the Roman proletariat. The name of the proletariat refers directly to their chief function for Rome -- the production of Roman proles “offspring”.

Picture URL’s

• https://www.google.ca/search?q=roman+families&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=agtoaHtFljXuEM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQ9tOBxVDb5HCoNvwMc6VFGehuDqAEcq4a8m1nFloLzHqUz1w08%253B640%253B546%253BMa-hQTkqNx2f2M%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww2.bc.edu%25252F~mcglynka%25252Fhonors3.html&source=iu&usg=__0RwfebRcf_aH24oXFbhTCcFNRwQ%3D&sa=X&ei=Z55mU43HGsGtyAT8_YLoCw&ved=0CCoQ9QEwAA#facrc=_&imgrc=agtoaHtFljXuEM%253A%3BMa-hQTkqNx2f2M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgallery.nen.gov.uk%252Fgallery_images%252F0707%252F0000%252F0050%252Fdrawings_mid.jpg%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww2.bc.edu%252F~mcglynka%252Fhonors3.html%3B640%3B546

• https://www.google.ca/search?q=roman+families&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=agtoaHtFljXuEM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQ9tOBxVDb5HCoNvwMc6VFGehuDqAEcq4a8m1nFloLzHqUz1w08%253B640%253B546%253BMa-hQTkqNx2f2M%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww2.bc.edu%25252F~mcglynka%25252Fhonors3.html&source=iu&usg=__0RwfebRcf_aH24oXFbhTCcFNRwQ%3D&sa=X&ei=Z55mU43HGsGtyAT8_YLoCw&ved=0CCoQ9QEwAA#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=PlDgGuWCf7dFfM%253A%3BnC7OzfQ0Em21uM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fancientrome-familylife.weebly.com%252Fuploads%252F2%252F4%252F1%252F6%252F24165503%252F6708104.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fancientrome-familylife.weebly.com%252F%3B250%3B261

• https://www.google.ca/search?q=roman+families&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=agtoaHtFljXuEM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQ9tOBxVDb5HCoNvwMc6VFGehuDqAEcq4a8m1nFloLzHqUz1w08%253B640%253B546%253BMa-hQTkqNx2f2M%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww2.bc.edu%25252F~mcglynka%25252Fhonors3.html&source=iu&usg=__0RwfebRcf_aH24oXFbhTCcFNRwQ%3D&sa=X&ei=Z55mU43HGsGtyAT8_YLoCw&ved=0CCoQ9QEwAA#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=drAO0bM9mlBQDM%253A%3BMa-hQTkqNx2f2M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdarkwing.uoregon.edu%252F~klio%252Fim%252Frr%252Fmiddlerep%252Fcornelia%2526gracchi.jpg%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww2.bc.edu%252F~mcglynka%252Fhonors3.html%3B637%3B850

• https://www.google.ca/search?q=roman+families&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=agtoaHtFljXuEM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQ9tOBxVDb5HCoNvwMc6VFGehuDqAEcq4a8m1nFloLzHqUz1w08%253B640%253B546%253BMa-hQTkqNx2f2M%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww2.bc.edu%25252F~mcglynka%25252Fhonors3.html&source=iu&usg=__0RwfebRcf_aH24oXFbhTCcFNRwQ%3D&sa=X&ei=Z55mU43HGsGtyAT8_YLoCw&ved=0CCoQ9QEwAA#q=poor+roman+families&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=lC_9L6ZF2dUXkM%253A%3BDeXvmBA5K_7YuM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F_aoxvhOU2Auk%252FTSnO361Q4xI%252FAAAAAAAAAqk%252FHdOXga8MkYk%252Fs1600%252Fpreraphaelholyfamily.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftaylormarshall.com%252F2011%252F01%252Fholy-family-divine-pattern-for-humanity.html%3B500%3B316

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The End Liayana, Simran, Gagan, Hasneet