Roman Civilisation - Children, education and marriage

What would happen as soon as children were born?

Check for deformities, the father decided whether to accept them by picking them up. If not accepted, the baby was left in the streets to either die or be taken by others

What ritual allowed the gods to accept the child?

Laying a couch for Juno (girl) or table for Hercules (boy)

What happened in the naming ceremony?

Eight days (for a girl) or nine days (for a boy) after birth, a name given with a sacrifice and gifts, notably a bulla (lucky charm to ward off evil spirits worn by child)

What happened in coming of age rituals?

When 15, boys would replace their purple bordered toga with a plain white one. They would go to the forum and register as a citizen before making sacrifice and celebrating. They would also remove their bulla. Girls wore a lunula dedicated to Venus along with childhood toys before they married

What was the view of bringing up a child?

Have a good tutor, and don’t give unlimited freedom or too many restrictions

What was the first stage of education?

From seven to eleven, a small school was attended with a ludi magister as teacher. It could take place privately or publicly and there was no obligation to send to school. Most people did the first stage as it was cheap while girls learnt domestic duties. They were helped by slaves and wrote on tabulae with a stilus with ink made of soot or resin thinned by water

What was the second stage?

Run by a grammaticus, they studied literature such as epic poems and plays with some history and geography, as well as Greek and Latin (the two most important languages of the Empire)

What happened in the third stage?

A rhetor, a highly educated teacher, taught literature and oral skills for arguing. Those whose parents were willing to pay for it would learn some science and maths.

Explain what medicine and science were like at the time

Alexandria was a scientific centre with the beginnings of medicine, particularly Hippocrates in the 5th century BCE and then Alexandrian Herophilius. Minor ailments could be treated and minor surgery often practiced. More ambitious surgery was rare. They also estimated things like distance between celestial bodies, heliocentrism was first proposed, use of steam turbines and so on.

How was marriage started?

Chosen by the girl (typically in her early teens)’s father or guardian and a dowry negotiated. The man would typically be in his late twenties or early thirties with a dowry negotiated, followed by gifts exchanged when engaged

What were the two types of marriage?

Cum manu (with the hand), making the wife a full part of the husband’s family, her property became his and she could not divorce him (although he could her)

Sine manu (without the hand), remained part of father’s family, could possess property and could divorce (much more common)

What were some wedding customs?

Bridal veils, joining hands, sacrifice, marriage contract and many others

How could divorce happen and why did it happen?

One party walked away (although this was more often the husband as they had custody of the children). Two reasons it often happened were for new alliances or for infertility (assumed as the woman’s fault).