Paternal onomastical legacy vs. illegitimacy in Roman epitaphs
Paternal onomastical legacy vs. illegitimacy in Roman epitaphs
Author(s): Małgorzata KrawczykSubject(s): History of Law, Ancient World
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Sub Lupa
Keywords: Latin inscriptions; Roman onomastics; names of parents and children; cognomina; illegitimate children; families of slaves and freedmen
Summary/Abstract: The subject of the present paper is epigraphic evidence for illegitimate children who bear the cognomen of their natural father. 107 epitaphs from the city of Rome dated to the first three centuries CE have been examined in an attempt to determine whether this onomastic practice was applied in the milieu of slaves and freedmen. The analysis of the source material showed that fathers of slave origin often gave their own cognomina to their children as they had no nomen to pass on to their offspring. This proves that the family bonds between members of these families were strong even though they were often separated from one another.
Journal: U schyłku starożytności - Studia źródłoznawcze
- Issue Year: 2017
- Issue No: XVI
- Page Range: 107-128
- Page Count: 22
- Language: English
