Roman children

[Cave Equum]

"John Boswell studied the phenomenon in his book 'The Kindness of Strangers', and comes to the conclusion that the Roman system continued to operate until the early point of the High Medieval period, when exposure dried to a trickle (probably because economic opportunity was better), and was then replaced by foundling homes."

I'll have to look that up because, as I understand it, the practice was forbidden in the 4th century AD. That it was forbidden does't mean though that it didn't happen any more.

[jvrjenivs]

Maybe also of interest is:
Pupils, Teachers and Schools in Pompeii. Childhood, Youth and Culture in the Roman Era by Laurentino Garcia Y Garcia
(Bardi Editore Roma, ISBN: 88-88620-25-7)

[Cave Equum]

Thanks for all the responses. I have started writing my bachelorpaper, but it will probably take a couple months before it will be finished, because I'm quite busy at the moment. Once it is finished I'll post it here, if anyone is interested. It's in Dutch though, so I'm not sure how useful it'll be.

[Cave Equum]

Not sure if I should ask this here or in the reenactment section, but does any one of you reenactors have a picture of a couple of playing children? It would look great on the cover of my paper.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with the way (some) Romans treated children....

In Roman times, as in many non - western societies today, there was an expectation that all people, wether children or not, should be productive and useful. Whilst many of the practices referred to above were unacceptable by any definition, Roman society could not afford to give their children the exceptionally cocooned lifestyle we give our own.

One wonders how the Romans would view our own child rearing practices. To wrap a child in cotton wool, asking no working contribution towards the household until they reach adulthood (and even beyond); allowing them adult luxuries but expecting no adult responsibilities; feeding them with food we know is toxic and unhealthy because it is too much trouble to insist that they eat decent food; exposing them to constant entertainment and play without showing them any life or coping skills; lavishing a quarter of the yearly household budget on playthings for them each winter; totally taking their side if they commit any wrong either legally or at school; submitting to outrageous demands for material goods because they say their friends have them.

I think the Romans could teach us a few things.

[Narukami]

With regard to the Roman practice of "exposing" the unwanted child...

Here in California we have a law that you may take an infant to a hospital, police or fire station and leave it there -- no questions asked. This was in response to parents abandoning their new born infants it dumpsters, parks, etc.

And even with this there are still cases of children being abandoned in the urban wilderness.

On the other hand there was also a recent case where a parent left their teenager as a Fire Station (?) because they could no longer afford to raise and care for them.

It would seem we still have much in common with the Romans.

:?

Narukami

[Cave Equum]

The only differences would be that it occurred more often and that it wasn't as frowned upon as nowadays.

[M. Demetrius]

In our times, the paterfamilias does not have authority over the life and/or death of children in the household, at least not in most countries. In Roman days, he did in most circumstances. For the death of a child, there would probably be some kind of hearing before a judge, but it wouldn't be normal for any prosecution to be forthcoming, if I understand Roman law correctly.

Don't try that today, Grandfather.