Editing Adoption in ancient Rome (section)

{{Short description|Adoption in Roman law}}
[[File:Marcus Aurelius, Antoninus Pius, small Lucius Verus and Hadrian, a scene of a cycle “Adoption” of the Parthian frieze from Ephesus, the Parthian Monument reliefs, post 169 AD, Ephesos Museum Vienna, Austria (20434833803).jpg|thumb|[[Relief]] depicting imperial succession through adoption: Hadrian (right) adopted Antoninus Pius (center left), who in turn adopted the 17-year-old Marcus Aurelius (left) and the 8-year-old Lucius Verus; the head over Hadrian's left shoulder may represent the [[Genius (mythology)|guardian ''genius'']] of Aelius Verus, Lucius's late father]]

'''Adoption in ancient Rome''' was primarily a [[Roman law|legal procedure]] for transferring paternal power ''([[patria potestas|potestas]])'' to ensure [[Inheritance law in ancient Rome|succession]] in the male line within Roman [[paterfamilias|patriarchal society]]. The Latin word ''adoptio'' refers broadly to "adoption", which was of two kinds: the transferral of ''potestas'' over a free person from one head of household to another; and ''adrogatio'', when the adoptee had been acting ''[[sui iuris]]'' as a legal adult but assumed the status of unemancipated son for purposes of [[Inheritance law in ancient Rome|inheritance]]. ''Adoptio'' was a longstanding part of Roman family law pertaining to paternal responsibilities such as perpetuating the value of the family estate and ancestral rites ''([[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#sacra gentilicia|sacra]])'', which were concerns of the Roman property-owning classes and cultural elite. During the [[Principate]], adoption became a way to ensure [[List of Roman emperors|imperial succession]].

In contrast to modern [[adoption]], Roman ''adoptio'' was neither designed nor intended to build emotionally satisfying families and support childrearing.{{sfn|Corbier|1991|p=63}} Among all social classes, childless couples or those who wanted to expand the size of their families instead might [[Slavery in ancient Rome#Alumni|foster children]]. Evidence is meager for the ''adoptio'' of young children for purposes other than securing a male heir, and probably would have been employed mostly by [[Slavery in ancient Rome|former slaves]] legitimating the status of their own children born into slavery or outside a legally valid marriage.

Roman women could own, inherit, and control property as [[Roman citizenship|citizens]], and therefore could exercise prerogatives of the ''paterfamilias'' pertaining to ownership and inheritance.{{sfn|Saller|1999|pp=185, 187–189}} They played an increasingly significant role in succession and the inheritance of property from the 2nd century BC through the 2nd century AD,{{sfn|Lindsay|2011|pp=347, 350, 354}} but as an instrument for transferring paternal ''potestas'', adoption was mainly a male-gendered practice.{{sfn|Gardner|1986|p=8}}