Women and the Law in the Roman Empire: A Sourcebook on Marriage, Divorce and Widowhood

ISBN-13: 9780415152419 / Angielski / Miękka / 2002 / 376 str.

Judith Evans-Grubbs; Judith Grubbs; Terry Evans

Opis

It is widely recognized that Roman law is an important source of information about women in the Roman world, and can present a more rounded and accurate picture than literary sources. This sourcebook fully exploits the rich legal material of the imperial period - from Augustus (31 BCE - 14 CE) to the end of the western Roman Empire (476 CE), incorporating both pagan and Christian eras, and explaining the rights women held under Roman law, the restrictions to which they were subject, and legal regulations on marriage, divorce and widowhood. The main focus is on the major legal texts (the Digest, the Institutes of Gaius, the Code of Justinian and the Theodosian Code), but a significant number of non-legal documentary sources are included. These are particularly important as they illustrate how the law worked in practice, and how this practice (particularly in the provinces) could differ from the letter of the law. Accessible English translations are enhanced by clear, concise background material, which includes useful explanation of historical and geographical context, and a helpful glossary of Roman legal and administrative terms completes the volume.

Spis treści

Preface. A sourcebook on women and the law in the Roman Empire: marriage, divorce, and widowhood, List of abbreviations, Glossary of Latin legal terms, Acknowledgments, Introduction: historical and legal background, 1 The status of women in Roman law, 2 Marriage in Roman law and society, 3 Prohibited and non-legal unions, 4 Divorce and its consequences, 5 Widows and their children, Summation. The condition of women: rights and restrictions, Notes, Bibliography, Index of sources, General index

O autorze

Judith Evans Grubbs