Dowry appeared in the pre-Qin period. How much was the dowry in ancient times?

Dowry and bride price are unavoidable customs of young people in modern China society. Many people have a headache about bride price and dowry, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions. However, there has been a custom since ancient times that marriage is accompanied by a woman's dowry. In ancient times, the types of dowry were more colorful.

There are two main purposes of dowry.

1. As a reward for the bride price, after the man paid the bride price, the woman's family returned part of the dowry to show equality with the man instead of selling her daughter.

2. As the woman's personal property, make a guarantee for her future life. The amount of dowry corresponds to a woman's position in her husband's family.

Dowry is mainly divided into several categories:

First, the dowry personnel. Generally, in a big family, a noble lady will be equipped with some close-fitting maids and footmen to continue working in the new family. The servant brought from her mother's family continued to do service work in her husband's family. Servants are highly dependent on their masters, and the hostess trusts them. Dowry staff can also give support and help to the bride as her family.

Second, gold and silver jewelry, household necessities. Generally speaking, ancient women had no financial resources, so the more money they had at their disposal, the stronger their position in the husband's family.

1. Gold and silver jewelry generally choose some items with lighter weight and higher value, which is convenient for circulation and subsidizes households when necessary.

2.？ Generally speaking, there are cosmetic boxes, bedsteads, stuffy cabinets, wardrobe bottoms, camphor boxes, children's treasure buckets and so on. These furniture have a festive and auspicious meaning and are of high value.

3. Small daily necessities are generally some daily necessities with beautiful meanings, such as spittoon, red ruler, vase, silver belt, dragon and phoenix quilt, dragon and phoenix bowl chopsticks, etc. The spittoon symbolizes children and grandchildren, the red ruler symbolizes fertile land, the vase symbolizes flowers and wealth, the belt symbolizes wealth, and the dragon and phoenix chopsticks symbolize ample food and clothing.

Third, shops, houses, fields and other real estate, this kind of dowry is mainly for supporting the elderly and inheriting, and preparing for the great changes in life in the future.