Marriage in ancient Rome in the context of "Ceres (mythology)"

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⭐ Core Definition: Marriage in ancient Rome

Marriage (conubium) was a fundamental institution of society in ancient Rome and was used by Romans primarily as a tool for interfamilial alliances. The institution of Roman marriage was a practice of marital monogamy: Roman citizens could have only one spouse at a time in marriage but were allowed to divorce and remarry. This form of prescriptively monogamous marriage that co-existed with male resource polygyny (powerful men can have one wife and many other sexual partners) in Greco-Roman civilization may have arisen from the relative egalitarianism of democratic and republican city-states. Early Christianity embraced this ideal of monogamous marriage by adding its own teaching of sexual monogamy, and propagating it worldwide to become an essential element in many later Western cultures.

Roman marriage had precedents in myth. The abduction of the Sabine women may reflect the archaic custom of bride abduction. Rome's Sabine neighbours rejected overtures of intermarriage by Romulus and his band of male immigrants. According to Livy, Romulus and his men abducted the Sabine maidens but promised them honorable marriage, in which they would enjoy the benefits of property, citizenship, and children.

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👉 Marriage in ancient Rome in the context of Ceres (mythology)

In ancient Roman religion, Ceres (/ˈsɪəriːz/ SEER-eez, Latin: [ˈkɛreːs]) was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome's so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres". Her seven-day April festival of Cerealia included the popular Ludi Ceriales (Ceres's games). She was also honoured in the May lustration (lustratio) of the fields at the Ambarvalia festival: at harvesttime: and during Roman marriages and funeral rites. She is usually depicted as a mature woman.

Ceres is the only one of Rome's many agricultural deities to be listed among the Dii Consentes, Rome's equivalent to the Twelve Olympians of Greek mythology. The Romans saw her as the counterpart of the Greek goddess Demeter, whose mythology was reinterpreted for Ceres in Roman art and literature.

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Marriage in ancient Rome in the context of Lex Papia Poppaea

The Lex Papia et Poppaea, also referred to as the Lex Iulia et Papia, was a Roman law introduced in 9 AD to encourage and strengthen marriage. It included provisions against adultery and against celibacy after a certain age and complemented and supplemented Augustus' Lex Iulia de maritandis ordinibus of 18 BC and the Lex Iulia de adulteriis coercendis of 17 BC. The law was introduced by the suffect consuls of that year, Marcus Papius Mutilus and Quintus Poppaeus Secundus, although they themselves were unmarried.

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Marriage in ancient Rome in the context of Family in ancient Rome

The ancient Roman family was a complex social structure, based mainly on the nuclear family, but also included various combinations of other members, such as extended family members, household slaves, and freed slaves. Ancient Romans had different names to describe their concepts of family, such as, "familia" to describe the nuclear family and "domus" which would have included all the inhabitants of the household. The types of interactions between the different members of the family were dictated by the perceived social roles each member played. An ancient Roman family's structure was constantly changing as a result of the low life expectancy and through marriage, divorce, and adoption.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Ceres (mythology) ← Ceres (Roman mythology) ← Lex Papia Poppaea ← Ceres (goddess) ← Family in ancient Rome
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Zone (vestment) → Marriage → Ancient Rome → Marriage alliance → Monogamy → Roman citizen → Polygyny → Egalitarianism → Greek democracy → Roman Republic → Early Christianity → Western culture → Roman mythology → The Rape of the Sabine Women → Bride abduction → Sabine → Romulus → Livy → Children of Ancient Rome →