Brief Analysis On The Roman Family

The family is a microcosm of the society. Not only family guarantees the reproduction of human beings, but also undertakes the responsibility of inheriting and developing human heritage. Family system, together with other social systems, constitutes a standard system of the society.In the early and middle period of the Roman republic, the patriarchy was the core which guided the operation of the family power. The tradition, at a later stage of the Roman republic, was featured some new characteristics because of the conflicts from the expansion. The former lengthways family structure, which focused on the intergenerational relationship, turned into a transverse structure whose main attention was the contemporary. Especially when the natural family came up, the patriarchy was decreased even collapsed gradually on power over controlling family members and possessions. Incalculable wealth got into Rome on account of the massive military expansion. Slaves, as a kind of special "fortune", were also taken home. Slaves were living a better life at the beginning of the empire than that in the republic because of the rising social stable figures and the development of humanism. But salves were "speaking tools", whose social attribute was wealth. They became the main labor force of the family, even were allowed to play roles in politics. Roman emperors were responsible to their royal families, which was considered as another way of patriarchy in operation, especially with the power over slaves. And it was the power that differed itself from the former ones when in the early period of the Roman Empire. Royal slaves were a kind of "special family slaves". Those took advantage of their intelligence and special fond and trust from the emperor, were even released to be a free man, and might live a better life.