Motherhood: between nature, the right and the debt to society

Abstract

In Ancient Rome, many of the customs associated with motherhood emphasize the inferiority of women in society, their treatment as a means of procreation, elevating the role of man as the omnipotent dominus in the family and the society. Woman's task of having children is defined as a duty towards the society and the law supports this idea. The article deals with the rites of consecration of motherhood, of Lupercalia, of the Faun and of the feast of Bona Dea, of phallic gods, with the attitude towards widows and unmarried women and the relations in a procreation community.