Dtorr

@dtorr · 05 Aug 2022

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Marriage

#history The idea of legal marriage was first conceived by the ancient Egyptians. They had already established the ban on incest (although the pharaohs did not always respect it) and even admitted the possibility of divorce. Unlike other ancient civilizations, among the Egyptians it was considered that a couple should know each other for a while before marrying and, in deciding this, an agreement was signed establishing the rights and obligations of the spouses.

The Egyptians considered the two members of the couple equally relevant, which bears a lot of resemblance to current couple unions. Most societies in the Middle East, on the other hand, did not consider women as an adult legally speaking, but were dependent on their parents and then on their husbands. Later, the Greeks would also hold a non-egalitarian version between the two sexes, considering the wife's obligation to obey and serve her husband.

In most ancient civilizations, marriage was simply a private contract between a woman's father or guardian and a male. The latter could reject and terminate the contract whenever he wanted and unilaterally; the women had neither a voice nor a vote.