In
ancient Rome,
adoption of boys was a fairly common procedure, particularly in the upper
senatorial class. The need for a male
heir and the expense of raising
children and the Roman inheritance rules (Falcidia lex) strictly demanding
legitimes were strong incentives to have at least one son, but not too many children. Adoption, the obvious solution, also served to cement ties between families, thus fostering and reinforcing alliances. Adoption of girls, however, was much less common.