The Economic Life of the Family in Ancient Rome

The history of the Roman family is examined through the lens of a civilizational approach, where the family, the main socio-economic unit of ancient Roman society, and its head are at the center of Roman history. The monograph explores a wide range of written, epigraphic, and archaeological sources. The economic life of the family and its structure is traced from the 3rd century BC to the era of the fall of the republic at the end of the 1st century BC. Its evolution is closely linked to the processes occurring within the Roman civil community and the changes in the political system of Ancient Rome. The dynamics of development, flourishing, and crisis of the families of the senatorial-equestrian and municipal aristocracy in the sphere of economic activity are shown. The author reasonably concludes that the flourishing of the Roman civil community is associated with the flourishing of the families of the Roman nobility, and the crisis in the economic aspects of family life had a direct impact on the crisis of the civil community and the fall of the republic in Rome. The monograph is dedicated to outstanding domestic ancient historians V. I. Kuzishchin and E. M. Shterman, whose fundamental research remains relevant to this day.

The book is addressed not only to ancient historians but also to everyone interested in the era of Ancient Rome.