CLA219H1 Lecture Notes - Epikleros, Metic, Dowry
Document Summary
Life expectancy of men in antiquity is about 45 years, women"s average was 35. Can"t take these figures as solid fact because it is quite a hard thing to determine. Infant mortality rate was very high, 30 - 40 percent died within the first year. Modern reconstruction, there are no ancient sources for these figures. 50 percent of children died before the age of 10. In rome the infant mortality rate was 25 percent and the child mortality rate was also. In roman egypt a woman would have to give birth to 5 - 6 children to maintain the population. It was not a crime to expose a child at birth, it is not known how many children were exposed but it is not likely to be all that many. Selling the child was another option for the family. Exposure was far more likely for female children than male ones.
