Family Life In Ancient Rome at Life

Family Life In Ancient Rome. The paterfamilias had absolute rule over his household and children. Poor families would sometimes sell their children into slavery if they could not afford to feed them.

In very early roman times, a normal roman family included unmarried children, married sons and their families, other relatives, and family slaves. In ancient rome, men had absolute power if their power got questioned, they could have the other person banished, disown them, or even murdered woman and children. The whole family would all live together in one house or apartment.

BBC Primary History Ancient Greeks Sparta

At the head of roman family life was the oldest living male, called the paterfamilias, or father of the family. During the roman republic, some powerful families, or gentes maiores, came to dominate political life. Families were headed by their oldest male citizen, the pater familias (father of the family), who held lawful authority ( patria potestas , father's power) over wives, sons, daughters, and slaves of the household, and the family's wealth. The roman family could even include slaves.