As Roman jurists began to articulate the legal conception of "pater familias" from the early classical period onwards, the minimum qualification for assuming the status of "pater familias" came to be understood as one’s capacity to own property. However, in Roman law, this was considered a distinct dimension of the "pater familias"’ authority from their capacity to hold dominion over enslaved persons. While both enslaved people and the estate itself were considered part of the "familia" unit over which "pater familias" held authority, they were recognized as distinct from family members (wives, children, and grandchildren). Despite these distinctions, what all members of the household shared was their subjecthood to the authority, or "potestas", of the "pater familias". By the second century, A.D., the distinction between family members and enslaved persons residing in the same household had lessened, even as the "patria potestas" also weakened over time.