As soon as humankind developed into primitive societies, there needed to be a way of bonding clans together to avoid war and to strengthen the unity of diverse groups. The answer was the matrimony of two individuals, usually with the aim of creating a common heir. As such, some form of marriage is likely to have begun in the stone age. It has long been mentioned in the oldest texts around, including the Bible, as the way unions are legitimised. As societies became more settled, especially in the Middle East, wedding ceremonies were likely to have become more and more lavish with greater emphasis on the sort of rites we would still recognise today.