Legal Definitions - matertera maxima

In Roman law, a matertera maxima refers to a specific, distant familial relationship: the sister of one's great-great-grandmother. This individual would therefore be considered a great-great-great-aunt.

Here are some examples illustrating this term:

• Imagine a wealthy Roman citizen, Marcus, who passed away without any direct descendants. Under Roman inheritance laws, the estate would typically pass to the closest living relatives. If Marcus's great-great-grandmother, named Cornelia, had a sister named Livia who was still alive, then Livia would be Marcus's matertera maxima. While a very distant relative, in the absence of closer heirs, Livia might have been considered in the line of succession, demonstrating the term's use in defining a specific collateral familial link for legal purposes.

• A modern historian is meticulously reconstructing the extensive family tree of a prominent Roman aristocratic family from ancient records. They discover that a woman named Julia, who was the great-great-grandmother of a later influential senator, had a lesser-known sister named Antonia. For any descendant of Julia, Antonia would be their matertera maxima. The historian would use this precise term to accurately describe Antonia's exact relationship within the complex lineage, highlighting her position as the sister of the great-great-grandmother.

• Consider a young Roman citizen, Valeria, who is learning about her extensive family network to understand her social standing and potential alliances. She learns that her great-great-grandmother, Octavia, had a sister named Servilia who lived to an advanced age. Valeria would identify Servilia as her matertera maxima. While Servilia might not have had direct legal authority over Valeria, understanding this specific, distant familial connection (the sister of her great-great-grandmother) could be important for navigating social circles and understanding potential patronage relationships within Roman society.