古代社會의 養子制度

A Study on the Adoption System in Ancient Society

1. The adoption is to establish a fictious parent-son (or daughter) relationship by mutual agreement between adoptive parents and adoptive son or daughter, even though there is no blood-relationship as a parents-son (or daughter) relationship. Thus the adoptive son or daughter succeeds the adoptive parents as the head of family. The great majority of countries are keeping this adoption system, and the development-process of this system can described to have been developed through the following three stages; namely, adoption for family lineage, adoption for parents, and adoption for adoptive son (or daughter). It is, however, difficult for us to conclude that all societies have passed through these three stages process of development. We might say adoption system is a universal one which has been developed through all ages and countries. However, we must remember this conspicuous fact that “the adoption system for parents” has changed to “the adoption system for son (or daugher)”. Since modern society, especially after the World Wars Ⅰ and Ⅱ, has produced a lot of abandoned children, war orphans and illegitimate children, the adoption system has been employed as a means to relieve those unfortunate boys and girls. This essay is limited only to the Adoption System for family lineage in Ancient Society. Especially ancient Romon adoption system and Aryan adoption system in Ancient India have been studied.