A new and thought-provoking study of marriage and the law in late antiquity, looking particularly at the new legislation enacted by the emperor Constantine (reigned AD 307-337). Constantine was famously the first Christian emperor - did his laws reflect Christian ideals, or pagan practice?
Introduction ; The Social and Legal Background ; 'Pagan' and 'Christian' Marriage ; The Repeal of the Augustan Penalites on Celibacy ; Making the Marriage Bond: Betrothal, Abduction, and Seduction ; Breaking the Bond: Adultery and Divorce ; Sex and Status: Legislation on 'Mixed Status' Unions ; Perspectives on Constantine's Legislation ; Appendix I: Constantine's Legislation on Marriage and the Family ; Appendix II: The Legislation of 326
`very high quality ... an excellent topic' Averil Cameron, Professor, King's College London
Judith Evans Grubbs, Virginia) Evans Grubbs, Judith (Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Sweet Briar College