| The paterfamilias or head of the family had the right, in theory at least, to execute summarily any member, including in primis his slaves. |
| The sweet sounds of the banjo are replaced by the elderly paterfamilias, who starts to play a mouth organ. |
| At the heart of the Roman family was the paterfamilias, the father of the family. |
| Beneath these specific demands, however, and colouring all of them, was a passionate desire to destroy the authority of the paterfamilias. |
| That he is a Mormon, a professor, and a paterfamilias adds spice to his mischief. |
| Like women and slaves, children were the property of the paterfamilias and could be sold or abandoned, as girls often were. |
