Jump to content
UNRV Ancient Roman Empire Forums
Sign in to follow this  
Gaius Paulinus Maximus

Infantcide common in Roman Empire

Recommended Posts

Infanticide, the killing of unwanted babies, was common throughout the Roman Empire and other parts of the ancient world, according to a new study.

 

The study, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Archaeological Science, explains that "until recently, (infanticide) was a practice that was widely tolerated in human societies around the world. Prior to modern methods of contraception, it was one of the few ways of limiting family size that was both safe for the mother and effective."

 

Based on archaeological finds, the practice appears to have been particularly widespread in the Roman Empire.

 

"I think it was tolerated in the Roman world rather than something that was completely acceptable, but it's hard to be sure," lead author Simon Mays told Discovery News.

 

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/infanticide-roman-empire-110505.html

 

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Infanticide, the killing of unwanted babies, was common throughout the Roman Empire and other parts of the ancient world, according to a new study.

 

The study, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Archaeological Science, explains that "until recently, (infanticide) was a practice that was widely tolerated in human societies around the world. Prior to modern methods of contraception, it was one of the few ways of limiting family size that was both safe for the mother and effective."

 

Based on archaeological finds, the practice appears to have been particularly widespread in the Roman Empire.

 

"I think it was tolerated in the Roman world rather than something that was completely acceptable, but it's hard to be sure," lead author Simon Mays told Discovery News.

 

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/infanticide-roman-empire-110505.html

 

No surprise. The ancient world was no paradise.

 

It is important to keep things in perspective. Infant mortality was high. There were no immunizations, antibiotics, IV's, ventilators, intensive care units, etc. Infants with congenital anomalies that survive today only with medical intervention would not stand a chance in the ancient world. We should distinguish what they called "exposure" or allowing them to die, from deliberate killing. It was survival of the fittest.

 

This practice seems less abhorrent than the deliberate sacrifice of healthy children to the Canaanite God Baal, as practiced by the Carthaginians.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, if you are sure an infant will die day within days, why nurture it for days and develop a bond that is bound to end in sadness.

 

Also - if you have an infant that is clearly showing signs of being mal-formed or suffering from mental deficiency - then it makes sense to kill the infant.

 

While I may go for smothering to make the death quickly rather than exposure, I think it was an efficient practice allowing the parents to move on. I know they never named their children for what - a week or so ? Perhaps to ensure they were growing and thriving before becoming officially part of the family.

 

Not necessary survival of the fittest, but survival of the whole community to not waste resources on a lost cause.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This practice seems less abhorrent than the deliberate sacrifice of healthy children to the Canaanite God Baal, as practiced by the Carthaginians.

 

I should point out that this has been discussed on several other threads (notablyCarthaginian Sacrifices and

Carthaginian Child Sacrifice theories debunked again)

where it has been extensively discussed and shown that although this is a widely held belief there is increasing evidence calling it into question as a rare let alone common practice amongst the Carthaginians.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest ParatrooperLirelou

This is funny because the Spartans always get the knock and labeled as cruel for infanticide well in fact the Romans and other Greek city states(and pretty much every civilization in the ancient world) are equally as guilty for infanticide and did it on about the same scale as the Spartans.

 

Spartans always get the criticism well in fact everybody(including the Romans who were called the most civilized and most sophisticated civilization in the ancient world) else was doing it. Double standards

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Map of the Roman Empire

×