Marriage between Social Norm and Sacred Union

The history of marriage is older than many civilizations — and far less romantic.

The earliest recorded marriages, dating to around 2350 B.C., had nothing to do with love, romance, or spiritual partnership. They were social contracts designed for one main purpose: to bind women to men and secure legitimate heirs. Marriage was not a union of Souls, nor a union of hearts — it was a mechanism of inheritance and ownership.