In Ancient Rome, who you married and how relationships worked really depended on your social class. This showed how power and values were important in Roman society.

1. Marriage Arrangements:

   • Rich families arranged marriages to build stronger political connections or improve their family's name.
   • These marriages often included big gifts called dowries. For very wealthy families, this could be more than 12,000 sesterces.

2. Social Classes:

   • The rich class, called patricians, and the common class, known as plebeians, usually didn’t marry each other. They kept their social groups separate.
   • Only about 7% of marriages were between wealthy families, showing a big divide between the social classes.

3. Divorce and Polygamy:

   • About 20% of marriages among the rich ended in divorce, often due to political or money issues.
   • Most people believed in being married to just one person, so having more than one spouse was rare.

4. Women's Roles:

   • Women from rich families had very few legal rights. They couldn’t own property unless a man was taking care of them.
   • In contrast, lower-class women often worked and had more freedom.