ROME — In the Middle Ages, new mothers in Rome could abandon their unwanted babies in a "
Infanticide, the killing of unwanted babies, was common throughout the Roman Empire and other parts of the ancient world, according to a new study. Infanticide, the killing of unwanted babies, was common throughout the Roman Empire and other parts of the ancient world, according to a new study.
In ancient Rome, babies weren't considered fully human upon birth. They gained humanity over time until they could walk and talk, the process beginning with their naming a few days after birth, and later when they cut teeth and could eat solid food.
The exposure of infants, very often but by no means always resulting in death, was widespread in many parts of the Roman Empire. This treatment was inflicted on large numbers of children whose physical viability and legitimacy were not in doubt.
But if he refused to acknowledge the baby, it could be exposed, a procedure which seems shocking and cruel to us nowadays. This practice was known as expositio (meaning exposure or being displayed in public).
In ancient Rome, women with heavy menstrual bleeding would be treated by applying ligatures to the groin and to the armpits, thus blocking off blood flow throughout the body. It was theorized this also resulted in the reduction of blood flow to the uterus.
Under Roman law, fathers had the right to inflict horrendous punishments on their children – from beating and starving them to killing them, although history shows us that few dads resorted to the latter.
While legitimate children were seen as the property of the father, illegitimate children were seen as the property of no one. Such a child was nullius filius and had no legal relationship with his or her parents.
In ancient Rome and Greece and the ancient Near East, women used an oral contraceptive called silphium, which was a species of giant fennel. They would also soak cotton or lint in the juice of this herb and insert it into their vaginas to prevent pregnancy.
Roman Infanticide and Infant Burials
Romans could sell their children and even kill them until a law was passed in the A.D. forth century under Constantine, outlawing such practices. Unlike Christians, Romans did not consider children as beings with a developed soul.
The age of lawful consent to a marriage was 12 for girls and 14 for boys. Most Roman women married in their early teens to young men in their twenties. Roman mores idealized a married daughter's relationship to her father as deferential and obedient, even at her husband's expense.
They worked a variety of jobs including merchants, wet nurses, midwives, scribes, and dancers. As you might expect, wealthy women had a much better life than peasant women. They were often educated and taught to read and write. Once married, they had servants and slaves who did most of the hard work around the house.
Their children were cuddled and carried about, never left to cry, spent lots of time outdoors and were breastfed for years rather than months. 'Our research shows that the roots of moral functioning form early in life, in infancy,' she said.
The children of former slaves, however, enjoyed the full privileges of Roman citizenship without restrictions. Some freedmen became very powerful. They held important roles in the Roman government. Those who were part of the Imperial families often were the main functionaries in the Imperial administration.
In the absence of state welfare for orphans, their care in imperial Rome fell to the family and friends of the deceased father.
Ancient Rome was a society with high infant mortality. Estimates range from about one quarter to one third of infants dying in their first year of life. Babies were at very high risk and there was no formal mourning period for an infant less than 1 year old.
The condoms used in Ancient Rome were made of linen and animal (sheep and goat) intestine or bladder. It is possible that they used muscle tissue from dead combatants but no hard evidence for this exists.
The Oldest Methods
Around 1850 B.C. Egyptian women mixed acacia leaves with honey or used animal dung to make vaginal suppositories to prevent pregnancy. The Greeks in the 4th century B.C. used natural ointments made with olive and cedar oil as spermicides. A popular Roman writer advocated abstinence.
In an era long before chemical or hormonal contraceptive technology, Civil War-era Americans used the same methods known for centuries throughout the early modern world to prevent pregnancy. These, of course, included the ancient methods of coitus interruptus—or withdrawal, and the rhythm method.
Unlike society in ancient Egypt, Rome did not regard women as equal to men before the law. They received only a basic education, if any at all, and were subject to the authority of a man. Traditionally, this was their father before marriage.
Children that were from wealthier families would be educated at home or would be taught by tutors or in the schoolhouse. Poor children would work in and outside of the home so they could learn a trade for the future. Children that were poor did not get to play as much as the rich children.
The natural parents are usually given custody of their illegitimate offspring, the mother having priority. Formerly, fathers of illegitimate children had no obligation to support them, but many statutes have modified this.
For very serious crimes you could be killed by crucifixion, thrown from a cliff, into a river or even buried alive. Crucifixion was saved for serious crimes such as revolts against the empire. Over time Roman punishments became more and more violent.
1- Crucifixion — Brutal Punishment
The crucifixion was one of the most horrible and cruel punishments in Ancient Rome. It was used to publicly humiliate and shame the criminal, as well as a warning to others. It involved nailing or tying the criminal to a cross and leaving them to suffer until they died.
Poena cullei (from Latin 'penalty of the sack') under Roman law was a type of death penalty imposed on a subject who had been found guilty of patricide.