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Brother-Sister Marriage in Roman Egypt - A Curiosity of Humankind or a Widespread Family Strategy

Huebner, Sabine R.. (2007) Brother-Sister Marriage in Roman Egypt - A Curiosity of Humankind or a Widespread Family Strategy. Journal of Roman Studies, 97. pp. 21-49.

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Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/51056/

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Abstract

Scholars over the last few decades have been unable to find a convincing explanation for the widespread practice of brother-sister marriage among the common people in Roman Egypt, a social practice seemingly disregarding one of the most fundamental taboos. This paper now argues that these ‘incestuous’ marriages were in fact marriages between a biological child and an adopted one, a practice documented also for other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. Due to the severe mortality regime before the demographic transition, up to 30 per cent of all fathers did not have a male heir, and therefore adopting the son-in-law was a common succession and inheritance strategy in many pre-modern societies.
Faculties and Departments:04 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > Departement Altertumswissenschaften > Fachbereich Alte Geschichte > Alte Geschichte (Huebner)
UniBasel Contributors:Huebner, Sabine R.
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
ISSN:0075-4358
e-ISSN:1753-528X
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Identification Number:
Last Modified:17 Nov 2021 09:36
Deposited On:17 Nov 2021 09:36

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