Megullia Dotata

Megullia, surnamed Dotata ('richly dowered'), was an ancient Roman noblewoman.

Life

Megullia is one of the one hundred and six subjects of Giovanni Boccaccio’s On Famous Women (De mulieribus claris, 1362).^[1] She is famous (as Boccaccio says) "more through the lavishness of her ancestors than through the worthiness of any of her own deeds. For at that time it seemed such a marvellous thing to give 50,000 bronze coins as dowry to one's husband..."^[2] Boccaccio used manuscripts of Valerius Maximus as his source, but they "disagree widely about the amount of money in Megullia's dowry".^[2]

Dotata

At the beginning of the Roman republic dowries were small.^[3]

Notes

^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

^ Boccaccio, Giovanni, Famous Women, translated by Virginia Brown (Cambridge and London, Harvard University Press, 2001) pp. 109-110 (ISBN 0-674-01130-9)
^ ^a ^b Boccaccio, Giovanni, Concerning Famous Women, translated by Guido A. Guarino (New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1963) pp. 117
^ Roman Dowry and the Devolution of Property in the Principate
^ Valerius Maximus — Liber IV
^ Memorable Deeds and Sayings: One Thousand Tales from Ancient Rome By Valerius Maximus translated by Henry J. Walker, P. 141, ISBN 0-87220-674-2
^ translation of Valerius Maximus' Liber IV
^ Titus Livy, History of Rome, Vol. 3 [10 AD], Book XXII
^ Adam, Alexander; Roman antiquities: or An account of the manners and customs of the Romans, p. 329; 1842 New York; New York public library 480576A
^ Adam, op. cit., p. 406

References

Roman law and dotata: Roman Marriage: Iusti Coniuges from the Time of Cicero to the Time of Ulpian By Susan Treggiari, pp 96–104, 209–211, 326–342, 541; ISBN 0-19-814939-5
Daily Life in Ancient Rome: The People and the City at the Height of the Empire By Jerome Carcopino describes the dowry and dotata on pages 97 – 100
Valerius Maximus translated by Henry J. Walker Memorable Deeds and Sayings: One Thousand Tales from Ancient Rome ISBN 0-87220-674-2
Horace referred to the wealthy wife's enslavement of the husband as, dotata regit virum conjux - a dowered wife rules her husband (Od iii, 18).
The New Comedy of Greece and Rome By Richard L. Hunter, "dotata ('dowered wife') pp 91, 92, 166; ISBN 0-521-31652-9
Cicero writes of the importance of the dotata and Roman customs in ad Att. XIV.13, XV.20, Pro Caecina c4 & c25
Saint Jerome speaks of the large dowry (megullia dotata) in his Letters 9, 13, 54, 79.

External links

Ancient weddings
Ancient Roman wedding practice as related to marriage in Ireland speaks of the dotata as the dowry and the ancient Roman customs.
The female model and the reality of Roman women under the Republic and the Empire by Francesca Cenerini of Università di Bologna, reference to time of the Second Punic War pertaining to uxor dotata (a woman who had a large dowry).

[GB-1] Boccaccio, Giovanni, Famous Women, translated by Virginia Brown (Cambridge and London, Harvard University Press, 2001) pp. 109-110 (ISBN 0-674-01130-9)

[guarino-2] Boccaccio, Giovanni, Concerning Famous Women, translated by Guido A. Guarino (New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1963) pp. 117

[3] Roman Dowry and the Devolution of Property in the Principate

[4] Valerius Maximus — Liber IV

[5] Memorable Deeds and Sayings: One Thousand Tales from Ancient Rome By Valerius Maximus translated by Henry J. Walker, P. 141, ISBN 0-87220-674-2

[6] translation of Valerius Maximus' Liber IV

[7] Titus Livy, History of Rome, Vol. 3 [10 AD], Book XXII

[8] Adam, Alexander; Roman antiquities: or An account of the manners and customs of the Romans, p. 329; 1842 New York; New York public library 480576A

[9] Adam, op. cit., p. 406

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