Family Relations in Mauretania Tingitana: An Analysis of the Epigraphic Evidence

Abstract

Funerary commemorations from Mauretania Tingitana are an important source of information on family relations in a Roman province. As in other provinces, nuclear relationships (93% of the total) predominate over those of the extended family (7%). Among nuclear family commemorations, 44% are dedicated by parents, 11% by children of the deceased, 30% by spouses and 15% by siblings. Compared with other provinces, Mauretania Tingitana has an unusually high proportion of descending (parent-child) and lateral (sibling) relations; this may reflect strong familial bonds that already existed in the pre-Roman culture. The inscriptions also allow observations about inheritance, identity, marital age, affection, and gender differences.