Family life was very important to the Romans, whether they were rich or poor. The family was, in a sense, a miniature version of the empire. The same values that were expected of people in society were expected and taught at home, within the family. The paterfamilias was the emperor of his household, and the emperor was the father of Rome.
Roman Family structure was not quite the same as a modern day family unit. In Ancient Rome a family, or familia, was a legal construction that included all of the people under the power of the father, or paterfamilias.…
