"Paterfamilias"

Ancient Romans placed the father at the head of the family. One definition of the term “familia” translates to “the group of people who descend from the same pater,” where pater means “father”.

From this definition, a father and all his children are part of his familia, as are the children of his sons. The children of his daughters, however, would become part of their father’s familia.

At the head of the entire familia was the paterfamilias. The paterfamilias was the oldest living male of the family. If he had living sons, even grown men with their own families, those sons would still be under the power of the paterfamilias.

In Ancient Rome, fathers were endowed with nearly limitless power over their family, especially their children. This patria potestas, or “the father’s power” gave him legal rights over his children until he died or his children were emancipated. These powers included the right to arrange marriages or force divorce, expose a new born child if he did not want him/her, and even disown, sell, or kill his child. Even though a father had these legal rights, it did not mean these acts were common. Fathers wanted their children as heirs for the continuation of their bloodlines.