Despite the centuries that separate us from the glorious Rome of consuls and gladiators, the daily life of a Roman family and its structure were not so different from those of today. The Roman family was typically extended, with the pater familias at its head. He had absolute authority over the other members, including children, spouse, relatives, and even slaves.  

At his side was the matrona, the wife, who could exert considerable influence over her husband and, in his absence, managed the household and its affairs. However, the Roman family extended beyond the walls of the home; it was a true network of power and intrigue. The clientes were individuals not related by blood to the pater familias, but they owed him—or the matrona - specific obligations or debts, binding them closely to the family. This relationship increased the family’s influence within the senatorial aristocracy or military elite.  

This system distinguished the families of the gens (common people) from the patrician families, as the family hierarchy was not always as rigidly defined, with a single dominant patriarch. In fact, the term "familia" - derived from famulus originally referred, in Rome’s oldest legal language, to the group of slaves belonging to a related group of people or a single individual. Wealth, beyond material assets and money, was often measured by the number of slaves one owned.