In the Persian Empire before Alexander, many customs were driven by the need for a large army in order to maintain the king’s power. Persians were encouraged to marry early and to raise large families. Unmarried adults were looked down upon because people thought they were avoiding their duty. Abortion was considered one of the worst crimes and was punishable by death. In order to produce more children, men were encouraged to practice polygamy (having more than one wife at a time).
Parents chose husbands for their daughters when the girls were about 11 or 12 years old and the boys were about 13 or 14. Girls married at 15, the age at which they were considered adults. Boys were also thought of as adults at 15, but they married a few years later. By the time a boy turned 25, he would probably already have several wives.
When a couple became man and wife, the parents of the bride gave the groom’s family a dowry, or material offering. The dowry of a well-to-do girl might include precious metals, household equipment, land, jewelry, money, servants, and slaves. It was customary for the bride to move into the home of her husband’s family. Marrying close relatives, such as an aunt or even a brother or sister, was considered fortunate in the Persian Empire, and one reason for this custom may have been to keep the wealth of the dowry in the family.
In most of Greece, the bride’s family also provided a dowry. If she were wealthy, this might include land that provided an income, along with personal possessions. A husband was required to maintain the dowry, which could be inherited by the children. If the couple divorced, the husband would have to return it.
A Greek woman’s father or guardian would arrange her marriage while she was still a child. Girls married when they were 14 or 15, and men
Married at the age of about 30. Unmarried women who were not slaves were rare in ancient Greece. A legal marriage began when the bride went to live in her husband’s house. The actual ceremony was the procession to the new house.
When they married, women became the legal wards of their husbands. Monogamy (marriage to only one person at a time) was practiced throughout ancient Greece. The nuclear family structure-a husband, wife, and children living together-was the norm. At different times, other relatives might move in with a married couple.
World History
