Infatuation Rules
Photo by RODNAE Productions Pexels Logo Photo: RODNAE Productions

Who marry first in the world?

The first recorded evidence of marriage ceremonies uniting one woman and one man dates from about 2350 B.C., in Mesopotamia. Over the next several hundred years, marriage evolved into a widespread institution embraced by the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans.

theweek.com - The origins of marriage - The Week
How do you know if a man is only interested in your body?
How do you know if a man is only interested in your body?

17 signs he only wants you for your body He compliments specific body parts via chat or on your first date. ... He is insistent on meeting for a...

Read More »
Last updated Apr 19, 2020
How do you know if you trust your partner?
How do you know if you trust your partner?

If you are dating someone trustworthy, they will be honest even when it hurts. A trustworthy partner owns up to all their decisions and is open...

Read More »
Last updated Nov 30, 2020

How old is the institution?

The best available evidence suggests that it's about 4,350 years old. For thousands of years before that, most anthropologists believe, families consisted of loosely organized groups of as many as 30 people, with several male leaders, multiple women shared by them, and children. As hunter-gatherers settled down into agrarian civilizations, society had a need for more stable arrangements. The first recorded evidence of marriage ceremonies uniting one woman and one man dates from about 2350 B.C., in Mesopotamia. Over the next several hundred years, marriage evolved into a widespread institution embraced by the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. But back then, marriage had little to do with love or with religion.

Skip advert What was it about, then?

Marriage's primary purpose was to bind women to men, and thus guarantee that a man's children were truly his biological heirs. Through marriage, a woman became a man's property. In the betrothal ceremony of ancient Greece, a father would hand over his daughter with these words: "I pledge my daughter for the purpose of producing legitimate offspring." Among the ancient Hebrews, men were free to take several wives; married Greeks and Romans were free to satisfy their sexual urges with concubines, prostitutes, and even teenage male lovers, while their wives were required to stay home and tend to the household. If wives failed to produce offspring, their husbands could give them back and marry someone else.

When did religion become involved?

As the Roman Catholic Church became a powerful institution in Europe, the blessings of a priest became a necessary step for a marriage to be legally recognized. By the eighth century, marriage was widely accepted in the Catholic church as a sacrament, or a ceremony to bestow God's grace. At the Council of Trent in 1563, the sacramental nature of marriage was written into canon law.

Did this change the nature of marriage?

Church blessings did improve the lot of wives. Men were taught to show greater respect for their wives, and forbidden from divorcing them. Christian doctrine declared that "the twain shall be one flesh," giving husband and wife exclusive access to each other's body. This put new pressure on men to remain sexually faithful. But the church still held that men were the head of families, with their wives deferring to their wishes.

Skip advert When did love enter the picture?

Later than you might think. For much of human history, couples were brought together for practical reasons, not because they fell in love. In time, of course, many marriage partners came to feel deep mutual love and devotion. But the idea of romantic love, as a motivating force for marriage, only goes as far back as the Middle Ages. Naturally, many scholars believe the concept was "invented" by the French. Its model was the knight who felt intense love for someone else's wife, as in the case of Sir Lancelot and King Arthur's wife, Queen Guinevere. Twelfth-century advice literature told men to woo the object of their desire by praising her eyes, hair, and lips. In the 13th century, Richard de Fournival, physician to the king of France, wrote "Advice on Love," in which he suggested that a woman cast her love flirtatious glances—"anything but a frank and open entreaty."

Did love change marriage?

What are the 4 behavior types?
What are the 4 behavior types?

A study on human behavior has revealed that 90% of the population can be classified into four basic personality types: Optimistic, Pessimistic,...

Read More »
Last updated Feb 10, 2019
What makes a man have value?
What makes a man have value?

A high value man knows his worth and isn't afraid to show it. He is confident in himself and his abilities, which is attractive to women . He is...

Read More »
Last updated Aug 18, 2022

It sure did. Marilyn Yalom, a Stanford historian and author of A History of the Wife, credits the concept of romantic love with giving women greater leverage in what had been a largely pragmatic transaction. Wives no longer existed solely to serve men. The romantic prince, in fact, sought to serve the woman he loved. Still, the notion that the husband "owned" the wife continued to hold sway for centuries. When colonists first came to America—at a time when polygamy was still accepted in most parts of the world—the husband's dominance was officially recognized under a legal doctrine called "coverture," under which the new bride's identity was absorbed into his. The bride gave up her name to symbolize the surrendering of her identity, and the husband suddenly became more important, as the official public representative of two people, not one. The rules were so strict that any American woman who married a foreigner immediately lost her citizenship.

Skip advert How did this tradition change?

Women won the right to vote. When that happened, in 1920, the institution of marriage began a dramatic transformation. Suddenly, each union consisted of two full citizens, although tradition dictated that the husband still ruled the home. By the late 1960s, state laws forbidding interracial marriage had been thrown out, and the last states had dropped laws against the use of birth control. By the 1970s, the law finally recognized the concept of marital rape, which up to that point was inconceivable, as the husband "owned" his wife's sexuality. "The idea that marriage is a private relationship for the fulfillment of two individuals is really very new," said historian Stephanie Coontz, author of The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap. "Within the past 40 years, marriage has changed more than in the last 5,000."

theweek.com - The origins of marriage - The Week
Is it a sin to divorce and remarry?
Is it a sin to divorce and remarry?

Yet, while remarriage following an unbiblical divorce is a sin, it is not a special category of sin that is beyond God's merciful grace.

Read More »
Last updated May 31, 2019
How do you know if someone loves you in a long-distance relationship?
How do you know if someone loves you in a long-distance relationship?

15 signs of true love in a long-distance relationship Strong commitment. ... They will be patient with you. ... You trust each other. ... Their...

Read More »
Last updated Jun 29, 2021
Who has the longest marriage?
Who has the longest marriage?

Eugene Gladu (USA, b. 1919) and Dolores Gladu (USA, b. 1922) have been husband and wife longer than any other couple alive today. Married on 25 May...

Read More »
Last updated Jun 10, 2020
Do guys touch you if they like you?
Do guys touch you if they like you?

Men who are attracted to you might even engage in more touch. If a man actively tries to touch you during your interaction, it may mean he wants to...

Read More »
Last updated Feb 22, 2020