The word familia did not originally signify the composite ideal of sentimentality and domestic strife in the present day philistine mind.
Famulus means domestic slave, and familia is the aggregate number of slaves belonging to one man.
This article was based upon the Saggio di Albero Genealogico e di Memorie su la familia Borgia specialmente in relazione a Ferrara, by L.
One the early forms of instituting an heir was a sale of the familiaor headship of the family to the intended heir, with all its rights and duties.
The familia continued to the heirs as it was left by the ancestor.
Before I go on to describe the religion of the family, it is necessary to put the familia into its proper relation with this territorial union.
For on the Saturnalia there was a sacrifice at Saturnus' altar, followed by a feast, which was afterwards Graecised, but doubtless originally represented the primitive feasting of the farm, in which the whole familia took part.
Like most rejoicings at this time of year, it was free and jovial in character, and the whole familia took part in it, both bond and free.
Nor is it quite safe to argue back from that calendar to the life of the familia and the pagus, except in general terms.
Lastly, as it is certain that the familia owned cattle and sheep, we may be sure that it enjoyed the right of common pasture on the land not divided up for tillage.
There is one more rite of familia or pagus, or both, of which I must say a word before I return for a while to the house and its inhabitants.
The familia is thus an economic unit, developed out of the gens, which is a unit of kin and little more.
Thy familia numbers five hundred souls; of these some are wounded and more are but incumbrances.
When my lord sails with his familia from Rutupiæ, it will be without Wulf, the son of Wulf.
Let the familia enjoy rest, and let them receive as much wine as they may take without being unduly drunken.
The familia of Drusus was in a tumult of indignation.
Clearly the master of the house had returned, and all the familia and freedmen bustled about their various tasks with the unusual promptitude and diligence which is the outcome of a healthy fear of retribution for slackness.
He had succeeded in reaching Baiæ, and introducing Artemisia into the familia of the villa of the Lentuli, as a new waiting-maid from Rome sent by Claudia to her daughter.
The characteristic taxation mentioned in this same passage probably has reference to the body of servants properly so called (-familia urbana-).
It is remarkable that with the vast numbers of slaves in the familia urbana (section 149 f.
Among the familia urbana must be numbered also those who furnished amusement and entertainment for the master and his guests, especially during and after meals.
Of these last the most important as well as the oldest (section 129) class was that of the farm laborers (familia rustica).
The former, known as the familia urbana, will be described later.
Familia Goliae, Magister Golias, Pueri Goliae, Discipulus Goliae, are phrases to be culled from the rubrics of their literature.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "familia" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
