Právněhistorické studie / Legal History Studies (Charles University journal; below referred to as PHS or Journal) is a scientific journal listed in the international prestigious database SCOPUS. The journal is published by Charles University in Prague under the guarantee of the Department of Legal History of the Faculty of Law of Charles University. It is published by the Karolinum Press. The journal focuses on the field of legal history and related topics.
Issue 1 of the Journal was published by the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences Publishing in June 1955. The Journal was initially published by the Cabinet of Legal History of the Czechoslovak Academy of Science (CSAV), later by the Institute of State and Law (CSAV) and then by the Institute of Legal History of the Faculty of Law of Charles University.
PHS is issued three times a year in April, August, and December and it presents original scientific works/papers as well as reviews, annotations and news from the scientific field of legal history. It also introduces annotated texts of a legal history nature. PHS accepts manuscripts from domestic as well as foreign authors. Manuscripts submitted by foreign authors are published in original language, namely in English, Slovak, German, French, Italian or Polish.
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PRÁVNĚHISTORICKÉ STUDIE, Vol 55 No 3 (2025), 43–54
ArticleSymbolika vena vo vybraných rímskych právnych a literárnych prameňov
[The Symbolism of the Dowry in Selected Roman Legal and Literary Sources]
Matej Mlkvý
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/2464689X.2025.32
published online: 10. 12. 2025
abstract
The institute of dos (dowry) represented a significant legal and socio-cultural phenomenon in ancient societies, particularly in Greek and Roman legal traditions. Far beyond a mere institute of matrimonial property law, the dowry beside naturally providing a degree of economic security to the wife symbolized legitimacy of marriage, social prestige but also power relations between the spouses. This article examines the symbolic dimensions of dowry in selected Roman and, to a lesser extent, Athenian legal and literary sources. It explores the evolution of dowry from the legal standpoint, tracing its transformation from a presumed purchase price for bride or gift in the archaic law to a legally recognised claim through an enforceable action upon the termination of marriage. Special attention is given to the social perceptions and practical consequences of dowry as depicted in Roman comical literature, especially in the works of Plautus. These sources reveal the dowry’s dual role as both a stabilizing legal institution and a mark of power, spousal power dynamics as well as social expectations. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that the dowry functioned not only as a legal institution but also as a complex symbol of marriage, social order, and in some cases of female empowerment in antiquity.
keywords: dowry; marriage; Roman law; Plautus
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Symbolika vena vo vybraných rímskych právnych a literárnych prameňov is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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ISSN: 0079-4929
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