On their own Terms: Conceptions of Familia among Enslaved and Freed Romans

Danielle LaRose (Binghamton University)

Roman family ties were complex. These ties were further complicated by the fact that
enslaved and freed persons were included within the Latin “familia,” a term that encompasses
more than just its modern English derivative, “family” (Saller, 1994). Mid-to-late-twentieth
century scholarship tended to conflate modern ideas of the “nuclear family,” consisting of the
father, mother, and biological children, with Roman conceptions of the familia (Dixon, 1992).
Yet, in the past forty years, Roman historians have challenged this definition. For example, the
inclusion of extended families (Keegan, 2017) and fictive kin such as foster-siblings (Gianni,
2020) within the familia preclude equation with the modern nuclear family. It has become clear
that Roman familiae should be defined on their own terms. However, enslaved and freed families have yet to receive a thorough examination regarding their definitions of familia. Although a significant amount of scholarship has explored Roman family ties (namely among the elite) and Roman slavery individually, few works have put these topics into conversation (Martin, 2003). The present study proposes a three-pronged approach to this definitional issue. First, it examines Roman definitions of familia and compares prescription to practice rather than imposing modern definitions onto enslaved and freed families. Second, because legal definitions of familia were created by the free Roman elite, it uses inscriptional evidence from Italy during the imperial period to analyze relationship patterns within the epitaphs. Finally, it uses theories of emotion, kinship, and agency to interpret from this evidence how enslaved and freed Romans understood and defined their families. As such, I argue that enslaved and freed Romans experienced a multiplicity of familial relationships which extended beyond the nuclear family.

Bibliography

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Gianni, Gaia. “Fictive Kinship and Roman Childhood: A Social History.” Ph.D. dissertation,
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Saller, Richard P. “Familia and Domus: Defining and Representing the Roman Family and
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Keywords:

Roman
Family
Familia
Slavery
Slave
“Nuclear Family”
“Extended Family”
Freedman
Freedwoman
“Freed person”