There were three forms of Roman marriage: one, the "conferreatio," which, like a Catholic marriage, could not be dissolved; two, the "coemptio," a civil marriage in which the groom paid a kind of dowry, so that he "bought" his bride; and three, the "usus," which automatically united a couple if they lived together for a full year "without interruption."
During this trial year the woman remained within her family circle. This "free love" allowed shrewd women to disappear for three days and three nights before starting another twelve-month trial period. This ruse allowed the woman both respectability and the protection of her own family.
