The Gabinian Affair by Ray Gleason

The Gabinian Affair by Ray Gleason

Review by Alex Johnston 

The Gabinian Affair answers the age old question: How does a poor farmer’s wife, burdened by an expensive mortgage incurred in an attempt to keep up with the Joneses, afford to give her son an elite, liberal arts education? Answer: Find a rich guy, and uh, persuade him to help.  Mama was Roman, married to the descendant of a Gallic Roman citizen. And she wasn’t exactly poor. Her father was an equestrian businessman, and a pretty good one at that. He gave his daughter a not too shabby dowry of 25,000 denarii. But no way were she nor her father going to let their boorish Gallic relatives get their grubby hands on that. Helvetia (Mama) demanded that her husband take out a mortgage that he couldn’t afford to build her a proper Roman-style house...

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One statement in the review stands out - 'In a primogeniture-based world'. Are you sure about that?

It is is a rather controversial claim. Or are we talking Gallic tradition rather than Roman? If so, I'd love to see the evidence ...

Maty - thanks for commenting, and good call.  The use of the term "primogeniture-based world" implies a national or global context that is not warranted in this case.  I was referring to the author's statement.... (She) clearly understood that I had no prospects within the family.  My older brother, Lucius, would get the farm, and my uncle, Lucius... would get the businesses..."  Clearly inheritance in Rome at the time was not governed by primogeniture - even girls could inherit.  I unconsciously extrapolated the rules of the family outwards to Gallic village life of the time and was sloppy in my use of the term - I am not knowledgeable about the rules of inheritance in Gaul during the time of the Late Republic.  My bad!  Thanks for keeping me honest.