Books about the Roman family, including extended family members, such as slaves, servants, and wetnurses, the laws governing marriage, and the ways in which reality sometimes conflicted with ideals.
Florence Dupont's easy to read account of the ancient Roman family, focuses on the character development in the family that was necessary for the preparation of good Roman citizens.
In "Roman Marriage: Iusti Coniuges from the Time of Cicero to the Time of Ulpian," Susan M. Treggiari looks at all aspects of Roman marriages, from choosing a spouse to divorce, from the philosophical and historical bases to roles in the family.
In "Discovering the Roman Family: Studies in Roman Social History," Keith R. Bradley's essays examine the broad base of the Roman nuclear family, which includes slaves and wet nurses as well as tradiational family members.
"Marriage, Divorce, and Children in Ancient Rome," edited by Beryl Rawson, compares the ideal Roman "nuclear" family with the reality of a system that encouraged fostering, tolerated divorce, and was subject to a high infant mortality rate.
