Roman Marriage: Iusti Coniuges from the Time of Cicero to the Time of Ulpian by Susan Treggiari (Hardcover, 1991) for sale online

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Marriage, a fundamental institution in human societies, takes varying forms. This book seeks to explore the practicalities, the cultural assumptions and the effective possibilities of marriage during the Later Republic and the Principate of Rome (100 BC - 235 AD). It takes a fresh view of the interaction of law and reality within Roman marriage, and builds on the accumulation of legal scholarship in the field, as well as on the latest insights into Roman society. Through a detailed examination of original sources (which are translated for those who do not read Latin), the author shows that marriage affected a Roman woman's social status and might entail legal consequences. The socio-legal effect on a man as an individual was less striking, but it enabled him to father legitimate children, which was the main object of the institution. The creation of new family alignments, shifts in the distribution of property, and the birth of new generations were important for society as a whole. The author also examines the dynamics of various influences on the choice of partner, behavioural norms and motives for divorce.