La familia romana. II

This second volume of Carla Fayer's exhaustive study examines the foundational private institutions of Roman family law, focusing specifically on engagement (sponsalia), marriage (matrimonium), and dowry (dos). Bridging strictly legal analysis with antiquarian scholarship, the volume offers a comprehensive account of daily life and statutory frameworks from archaic times to the Justinianic era. Initial chapters explore the evolution of sponsalia—from early solemn promises via sponsio to post-classical arrhal engagements—alongside the structural mechanics of conventio in manum (confarreatio, coemptio, usus). Subsequent sections analyze classical marital doctrines, essential requisites (conubium, puberty, affectio maritalis), nuptial rituals, Augustan social legislation, and post-classical Christian transformations. Finally, the study details the functions, modes of constitution, and restitution of dowries. Grounded in translated legal, literary, epigraphic, and papyrological sources, this work synthesizes scholarly communis opinio on Roman domestic law.