While you wait for more targeted answers, there are some resources in previous threads that may be of interest:

• How and why did dowries develop? - 3 comments, over 3 months old.
• The commenters speak only for Classical Athens with some mention of China and India, but they also go into the reasoning behind dowries across various cultures.
• When and why did the practice of dowries end in Western Europe? - 4 comments, less than 1 month old.
• No answer is given in the thread itself, but a commenter points to a book published on the matter.