Was there no marriage certificate in ancient times?

The ancient marriage system is very different from modern society, so there is no universal marriage certificate in modern society.

In ancient China, the marriage system was different from modern society because of the different social system and cultural background. For example, in the early tribal society, there may be cases of establishing a marriage relationship by robbing a wife to get married. In feudal society, marriage was generally established through the words of parents' matchmakers, while engagement was confirmed through family or village folk customs or ceremonies, and there was generally no written document or legal provision.

With the passage of time, the marriage system has also evolved. For example, marriage contracts and marriage documents appeared in the Tang Dynasty, but these documents were limited to the marriage between nobles and officials. For ordinary people, marriage is still established through the words of parents and matchmakers, or through folk customs or rituals to confirm engagement. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, folk marriage was gradually controlled by the government, and the marriage registration system was gradually formed. However, marriage documents and other documents are still only applicable to marriages between nobles or rich people.

So generally speaking, in ancient society, marriage certificate was not a necessary condition for establishing marriage relationship, but was determined by social, cultural and legal factors at that time.