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Technically, the oldest male in the family was supposed to be the most powerful;. He was the "paterfamilia" and was responsible for the well being of everyone in the family. Along with this responsibility came the authority over children, possessions and money. BUT... A Roman man was expected to marry and in order to do this he had to have a wife. Now here's where the power and authority issue gets tacky. The wife ran the house under (ahem) the husband's authority. There are several instances of domineering wives mentioned in the ancient writings--Marc Antony's father was under the thumb of Julia, his wife, Marc Antony himself, was dominated by two of his wives, Fulvia and Cleopatra, and Quintus Cicero put up with his crabby wife for more than twenty years. So its a toss up as to who actually had the most power.

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12y ago

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