The Ketubah is one of the oldest elements of a Jewish marriage, if not the most romantic. Without a Ketubah there is no marriage. Traditionally the Ketubah is a legal contract written in Aramaic, which was the lingua franca of the ancient world and the legal language of the Talmud, as opposed to Hebrew, which was and still is the language of prayer and poetry. It outlines a husband's obligations to his wife, safeguarding her from arbitrary divorce and providing for her should the marriage somehow be dissolved. Two witnesses sign the document, and the Ketubah becomes the wife's property, her insurance, recognized by the Bet Din, or Jewish court; her marriage contract. For the first century CE this was quite advanced, allowing women the importance that they deserve in the marriage. The Ketubah became the first pre-nuptial agreement. While the core of the text was the financial agreement, various couples and communities adapted the Ketubah to reflect their time and concerns.

The Ketubah is a document that has traditionally outlined a husband's obligation towards his wife, including clothing and conjugal rights. References to these obligations can be found in Exodus (21:10,11) although no mention is made of a document. The Apocrypha, however, contains mention of a scroll that was brought to the marriage ceremony of Tobias and Sarah, an early form of the Ketubah.

During the Babylonian Exile, 586-536 B.C.E., the need arose to protect women regarding property that was held in her husband's name. Many men migrated to Egypt and left wives and families behind. The Babylonian predilection for written legal contracts was a firm basis for the start of the Ketubah. Papyrus records dating from around 440 B.C.E. in Aramaic (a later form of Hebrew) clearly outline the principle of securing the wife's property. Included in this document is the sum of the bridal price paid to the father of the bride, as well as the sum of the bride and bridegroom's dower contribution. In addition, the wife is named as the beneficiary of the estate should the husband die.

Nearly four hundred year later, the Ketubah introduced a price that would be paid by the husband to the bride on the death or dissolution of the marriage. The Ketubah became a contract written by the groom and was presented to the bride. The earliest actual Ketubah formula is set down in the Talmud and exists today in the Orthodox text.

The practice of illuminating manuscripts and of decorating ritual objects goes back many thousands of years. The concept of Hiddur Mitzvah, or the beautification of a mitzvah, has led to the creation of legacy of Jewish ritual art objects. Richly decorated Ketubot can be found in the great museums of the world from Persia, Italy, Turkey and even the United States. The design of a Ketubah would often reflect the style of the times, and could include symbols of the country such as flags or crowns. Jewish symbols were also prevalent - the lions of Judah can often be seen in historical Ketubot as well as Hebrew calligraphy in stylized forms.

Modern Ketubah texts have followed social convention in creating equality between Bride and Groom in terms the exchange of vows. Some texts duplicate the wording for each spouse and others simply leave out all monetary consideration. Some rabbis allow the couple to add to the text or to devise their own texts. This practice keeps with a tradition in which a Ketubah would include family history, achievement and lineage as part of the design. In general, as all Jewish ritual has evolved to suit the times, so too has the Ketubah evolved in text and design.