To us in the modern western world, marriage is an occasion for two people to publicly proclaim their love for each other and their desire to build a life together. Since love had nothing to do with a Roman marriage we are entitled to ask what was its purpose in their eyes. Roman marriage existed for the production of legitimate children who would be heirs to their father’s property. Citizenship was a precious designation given only to those who were born of two citizens legally married to each other. Anyone born outside of a legitimate marriage between citizens was inferior in the eyes of the law. Men were well aware that no matter how important they were or how much they loved life, they were not going to live for ever, and while a rich man might have a bag of coins hidden in a hole in the wall of his basement there was no stock market and no corporate or government bonds producing a regular income with little or no effort on the part of the owner. Most real wealth was in the form of farm land or a commercial enterprise that produced an income only if some one paid attention to it, worked it and provided hands on management. Romans knew that, rich or poor, whatever capital they had accumulated would simply evaporate without an heir capable of not just spending but actually managing the estate. With or without wealth, of course, everyone wanted that all important son to provide the necessary care in old age, since there were no retirement homes or pension plans.
