A Cultural History of Marriage in Antiquity
A Cultural History of Marriage in Antiquity Marriage, across cultures, is often defined as a union between consenting adults that lasts for the life of the partners. Does marriage represent the union…
Specifikacia A Cultural History of Marriage in Antiquity
A Cultural History of Marriage in Antiquity
Marriage, across cultures, is often defined as a union between consenting adults that lasts for the life of the partners. Does marriage represent the union of two hearts, or was it a necessary evil? But is marriage a blessing, or curse?
The authors of this volume show that the peoples of the ancient Mediterranean were divided on all of these questions, and reveal ancient Greek and Roman opinions on marriage that were as varied and complex as they are today. Did matrimony bring a person a helpmeet for life, or was it a societally approved state entered into to improve one's social standing and produce legitimate heirs? Readers will discover in this book that ancients juggled multiple ideas that to the modern eye may appear to be contradictory.
Thus, for example, Greek and Roman wives were expected to come to their grooms spotless virgins, while Greek and Roman husbands could enjoy