2.4 Roman Kingdom

In Roman society, a patriarch’s children were his property and he could sell or kill them as he deemed necessary, but he was required to first justify his decision with the family and the people. If he couldn’t justify his decision, it could be overturned. Nor was his power absolute with his wife: She was not a piece of property, but, rather a kind of minor partner. A patriarch could not enslave or kill his spouse for any reason, but he was allowed to divorce her under certain circumstances; the patriarch was also the guiding force of religious practice in the family.

Likewise, the Roman king was considered the father of his people who were, in turn, his family. He led the military and served as chief judge, chief priest, and lawgiver. For all of his power, he was limited by a written constitution that he could not change.

The Roman king ruled in conjunction with a “representative” body called the Senate and an Assembly. The Senate was composed of clan leaders (a remnant of their tribal heritage) and it had the power to check the king by approving his appointments and judging the validity of his decisions in relation to the constitution. The Assembly was composed of all male citizens, but not all males were citizens. Like the Senate, the Assembly was organized on tribal lines with each of the 30 kinship groups receiving a single vote.