Pater

The family was the most important part of Roman society. The main person in charge legally of the family was the pater or father. He even had the power of life or death within the family. If the matron, the woman of the house, was of a dignified social status, the power of the father was somewhat restrained. Originally called by the Latin title of paterfamilias, the father evolved into the patron of Roman Republican and early Imperial society.