Masculinity in the Ancient Legal System

Abstract

Few entities influence daily life in a society as thoroughly as an established code of law. As such, written law offers a relatively complete medium through which to identify and define a concept such as masculinity within a society. This paper examines the role of masculinity in ancient Greek and Roman life through study of written laws and legal processes. Throughout ancient Greece and Rome, laws differed between cities and territories. These laws hold a mostly linear relationship to differing ideas of masculinity within each of these cities or regions. This paper analyzes known laws from ancient Greece and Italy, as well as primary source documents pertaining to the legal process, such as surviving court speeches and representations of legal environments.