Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/51969
Title: | Religion: The Gods and Rituals of Greek and Roman Weddings |
Contributor(s): | Dillon, Matthew P J (author) |
Publication Date: | 2020 |
DOI: | 10.5040/9781350179707.ch-002 |
Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/51969 |
Abstract: | | Ancient Greeks and Romans observed specific wedding rituals that invoked numerous deities whose assistance was called upon to ensure both that the marriage resulting from the wedding would be successful and that the marriage would be publicly acknowledged. While there were differences among weddings in the two societies, in both cases these rituals focused largely on the bride rather than the groom, reflecting the gendered nature of these societies. Weddings also highlighted the bride who entered into and was to dwell in the husband's house, leaving her own family and household. Various rituals ensured the approbation of the gods and prepared the bride for her transition to wife, while the groom performed others which marked her acceptance into his home. Friends and relatives acted as witnesses to the wedding and played a role in the various ceremonies, which called upon specific deities associated with weddings and marriages. For Rome, the evidence centers on elite families, while much of what is known of Greek weddings comes from scenes on vases from Athens. These latter depictions might well reflect the weddings of prosperous rather than poor Athenians, and the rites performed at Athens do not necessarily reflect practices across the Greek world. In neither society was there such a thing as a "standard" wedding; moreover there would have been variations in nuptial practices depending on economic and social status, geographical location, and local customs.
Publication Type: | Book Chapter |
Source of Publication: | A Cultural History of Marriage in Antiquity, v.1, p. 37-58 |
Publisher: | Bloomsbury Academic |
Place of Publication: | London, United Kingdom |
ISBN: | 9781350179653 9781350001800 9781350179707 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 210306 Classical Greek and Roman History |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 430305 Classical Greek and Roman history |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 970121 Expanding Knowledge in History and Archaeology |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 280113 Expanding knowledge in history, heritage and archaeology |
HERDC Category Description: | B1 Chapter in a Scholarly Book |
Publisher/associated links: | https://www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com/encyclopedia-work?docid=BCH_reference_CH18 |
WorldCat record: | http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1202585960 |
Series Name: | A Cultural History of Marraige |
Series Number : | 1 |
Editor: | Editor(s): Karen Klaiber Hersch |
Appears in Collections: | Book Chapter School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
|
Files in This Item:
2 files
File |
Description |
Size | Format | |
Show full item record
Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.