Who was the paterfamilias in early Rome? A) descendants of the family

B) a boy's father

C) the oldest living male in a family

D) a boy's grandfather

C. the oldest living male in a family.

Explanation:

The pater familias, also written as paterfamilias, was the head of a Roman family. The pater familias was the oldest living male in a household, and exercised autocratic authority over his extended family. The term is Latin for "father of the family" or the "owner of the family estate".