The Roman Empire

My image of the Roman Empire seems to be a bit negative now that I’ve seen the videos and read about the marriages and divorces in Roman times. I believe that the Romans were a little too big on power and showing it off. Showing off power to a certain extend is needed for an empire to remain in control, but obsessive control can have a negative effect. For the marriages and the betrothals, I think it’s disgusting and revolting for a seven year old to already have someone to marry and then be married to them at fourteen. But I thought it nice to know that they could be divorced pretty easily, but then the only issue is that if there is a divorce, the kids belong to the husband unless the father of the bride can try and acquire them. If someone gets divorced, both parents should be able to see their children and in most cases, I believe that the mother should be the one who gets to keep the children. It’s her right as a mother and the person who brought and gave the child life to be the one to be responsible for that life. But what really shocked me was the fact that around the third century of Rome, if a woman divorced her husband, she could be deported to an island and not able to marry again depending on what side of the empire you were on. The same thing could happen the male too. I don’t think that that’s fair to either of them. If you want a divorce you should be able to get one, no penalties. Even when people are getting married, it isn’t for love. It’s either decided by your parents, you just want to have children, or feel it is your duty to get married. Marriage should be about love and commitment like it is in modern times. The Roman Empire may have lasted for a long time, but the life in the Empire was not all that glamorous or happy. Most people were unhappy in their marriages and couldn’t even get a divorce unless they wanted to be deported or never have been able to see their children again.