Hello dear fans!
Recently, there is a hot topic spreading in society, and that is the controversy about polygamy in ancient times. But the truth of this matter is not as simple as advertised, and today we will analyze it well.
It is said that in ancient times it was the spring of women, and any man could have three wives and four concubines. However, this is really just a legend. It turned out that under the ancient monogamous and polygamous system, only a small part of the ruling class could enjoy this treatment, and most ordinary people could not even afford to marry one room and one wife, let alone three wives and four concubines.
How so? According to historical records, during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the emperor enforced monogamy very strictly, and there were clear regulations on how many wives different classes could marry. If you break these rules and marry a concubine, you will be punished severely! Therefore, no matter how rich they are, ordinary people can only marry one wife.
What's more, in some poor rural areas, several men still share a woman as a wife! The reason is simple, it is the scarcity of women. After the war, there were more men than women, and in some places there was a serious imbalance between men and women, and ordinary men could not afford to marry wives at all. Therefore, ordinary people in ancient times were even extravagant in one room and one wife, let alone three wives and four concubines!
It can be seen that the hedonistic three wives and four concubines are just extravagant fantasies for most people. Even now, it is not easy to find three wives, let alone ancient times. Next time you hear someone boast about how good the system of three wives and four concubines is, remember to solve the mystery for him!