The term average Roman family is flawed because there was no average in Roman society as there is no average family today. As was learned in prior lectures, the Roman cities, countrysides and how far the empire extended depended on the influence of Roman culture. In addition, the occupation of the father and status heavily determined the composition of the Roman family. Like today many variables can determine a families appearance, death, divorce and family size determined the family. Similar to the modern definition of extended, it is unusual, but not uncommon to have a blended family. Because of the limited evidence historians have at their disposal, it is difficult to determine the entire family structure. However in the atypical Senatorial family of Tacitus serves as a primary source, but not the …show more content…
It is relevant to determine whether the Roman family was a nuclear family because of the integral structural framework it serves in the study of Roman culture. Where a nuclear family with husband, wife, and child existed. At the foundation however, were still the nuclear family of today, mother, father and child. There could however be immediate family and if one was rich, slaves. This was the understanding of the extended family from before. To be clear, the nuclear family was developed from modern western culture. Therefore the way historians have classified the roman family with an modern lens is vastly different from a Roman family from 2,000 years