Women and the Law in the Roman Empire: A Sourcebook on Marriage, Divorce and Widowhood

Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Preface. A sourcebook on women and the law in the Roman Empire: marriage, divorce, and widowhood......Page 12
List of abbreviations......Page 16
Glossary of Latin legal terms......Page 18
Acknowledgments......Page 24
Introduction: historical and legal background......Page 26
Sources of late Roman law......Page 29
Roman social structure and the legal system......Page 31
Timetable of important events and laws......Page 38
The status of women in Roman law......Page 41
Women in the family......Page 42
Forms of legal power......Page 45
Manus (marital subordination)......Page 46
Tutela impuberum (guardianship of minors)......Page 48
Legal sources on tutela mulierum......Page 49
The Institutes of Gaius on tutela mulierum......Page 50
Selections from the Rules of Ulpian 11......Page 54
The Flavian Municipal Law (lex Irnitana)......Page 55
Tutela mulierum in non-legal sources......Page 56
The guardianship of women in the Roman East......Page 59
The ius liberorum......Page 62
Tutela mulierum in late antiquity......Page 68
Legal stereotypes of women's abilities and behavior......Page 71
Legal assistance for women......Page 72
Women's modesty and the need for protection......Page 73
~Womanly weakness~......Page 76
~Womanly weakness~ in the papyri......Page 77
The senatusconsultum Velleianum......Page 80
Women in court: restrictions and rights......Page 85
Prohibition on bringing criminal charges......Page 88
Prohibition on being an informer to the fiscus......Page 89
Right to act legally on behalf of oneself or one's family......Page 90
Right to bring criminal charges......Page 91
Right to bring an action over a family member's freedom......Page 93
Right to bring an action for the public welfare......Page 94
Women as defendants or witnesses......Page 95
Women in public life: restrictions and responsibilities......Page 96
Prohibitions on holding public office......Page 99
Marriage in Roman law and society......Page 106
What makes a marriage valid?......Page 107
The Augustan marriage legislation......Page 108
Preliminaries to marriage: age, betrothal, and consent......Page 113
Consent......Page 114
Dowry......Page 116
Providing a dowry......Page 117
The dowry during marriage......Page 120
Recovery of dowry after marriage......Page 122
Gifts between spouses and a married woman's property......Page 123
Women's property within marriage......Page 126
Marriage and its consequences in late Roman law......Page 127
Repeal of the Augustan penalties on celibacy......Page 128
Paternal power and consent to marriage......Page 129
Pre-nuptial gifts, arrhae sponsaliciae, and dowry......Page 135
Marriage contracts from Egypt and the Near East......Page 147
A synkhoresis from Alexandria......Page 148
Abstract of an alimentary contract from Tebtunis......Page 150
A Latin marriage contract......Page 151
A mother gives her daughter in marriage......Page 152
The marriage of two embalmers......Page 154
Marriage agreement from the ~Cave of Letters~......Page 156
Marriage contract from Dura Europos......Page 158
Prohibited and non-legal unions......Page 161
Uncle  niece and aunt  nephew marriage......Page 162
Former slaves and incestuous marriage......Page 163
Legal consequences of incestuous marriage......Page 164
Diocletian's edict against close-kin marriage......Page 165
Non-marital unions based on social status......Page 168
The senatusconsultum Claudianum......Page 170
Unions between women and their freedmen......Page 171
Unions between senators and former slaves......Page 173
Concubinatus (concubinage)......Page 175
Other prohibitions......Page 179
Marriage between tutor and pupilla......Page 181
Marriage between imperial officials and locals......Page 182
Marriage of soldiers while in service......Page 183
Marriage to two women simultaneously......Page 185
Prohibited and non-marital unions in late antiquity......Page 186
Prohibitions based on status......Page 191
Concubines......Page 195
Free men and slave women......Page 198
Free women and slave men......Page 201
Forced marriages......Page 206
Other prohibitions......Page 209
Divorce and its consequences......Page 212
Sending a notice of divorce......Page 214
Return of dowry after divorce......Page 216
Freedwomen and divorce......Page 217
Divorce and patria potestas......Page 220
Children after divorce......Page 223
Divorce in late Roman law......Page 227
Divorce in Egypt and the Near East......Page 235
A synkhoresis from Alexandria......Page 236
A wife's complaint......Page 237
A grave-digger's divorce......Page 238
A late fourth-century divorce agreement......Page 239
A mother's complaint against her son-in-law......Page 240
A divorce from Dura Europos......Page 242
Widows and their children......Page 244
Remarriage in Roman law......Page 245
Remarriage and inheritance......Page 248
Widows and the guardianship of fatherless children......Page 261
Guarding the guardians......Page 265
Mothers as guardians......Page 267
Mothers and guardians in the Greek East......Page 273
A mother brings suit against her son's guardians......Page 275
Mothers as guardians......Page 279
A guardian mother defends her children's interests......Page 282
Pregnant widows......Page 286
Inheritance rights and the supposititious child......Page 289
Pregnant widows in the papyri......Page 292
Summation. The condition of women: rights and restrictions......Page 295
Notes......Page 297
Bibliography......Page 352
Index of sources......Page 362
General index......Page 368