Growing Up and Growing Old in Ancient Rome A Life Course Approach

Throughout history, every culture has had its own ideas on what growing up and growing old. This volume is the first to highlight the role of age in determining behaviour, and expectations of behaviour, across the life span of an inhabitant of ancient Rome. Drawing on developments in the social sciences, as well as ancient evidence, the authors focus on the period c.200BC - AD200, looking at childhood, the transition to adulthood, maturity, and old age. They explore how both the individual and society were involved in, and reacted to, these different stages.

Throughout history, every culture has had its own ideas on what growing up and growing old means, with variations between chronological, biological and social ageing, and with different emphases on the critical stages and transitions from birth to death. This volume is the first to highlight the role of age in determining behaviour, and expectations of behaviour, across the life span of an inhabitant of ancient Rome. Drawing on developments in the social sciences, as well as ancient evidence, the authors focus on the period c.200BC - AD200, looking at childhood, the transition to adulthood, maturity, and old age. They explore how both the individual and society were involved in, and reacted to, these different stages, in terms of gender, wealth and status, and personal choice and empowerment.

1. Introduction: Ageing in Antiquity 2. The Location of the Life Course: the Household 3. The Beginning of Life: Infancy and Childhood 4. Transition to Adulthood 1: Female 5. Transition to Adulthood 2: Male 6. The Place of Marriage in the Life Course 7. Kinship Extension and Age Mixing through Marriage 8. Age and Politics 9. Getting Old 10. Death and the Memory 11. Age and Ageing in the Roman Empire and Beyond 12. Appendix