1. Children in Roman Society Lauren Menzies Session 7 2010

2. Place in the Family Marriage intended to produce children and Romans often had large families Pater familias had full control over their children’s lives All children within the family inherited equally Adoption

3. Infants Fathers could decide to keep or abandon newborns Deformed children were often exposed or drowned High infant mortality rate Birth was a public affair lustratio ceremony held to name the child Ceremony was held 8 days after the birth of a girl and 9 days after the birth of a boy

4. Clothes and Recreation Clothes Generally wore smaller versions of adult clothing Indoor garment was traditionally a tunic Outdoors girls wore a white togas and boys wore a toga praetextaover their tunics Recreation Boys had more free time than girls Had a variety of toys (dolls, balls, kites) Games included hide-and-seek, marbles and leap-frog Sporting activities where the individual could excel were popular

5. Roles in Religion Several gods were related to the care of children (Abeona, Fabulinus, Orbona, Pontina, Sentia) Ver Sacrum Performed during great crisis Everything born in the spring was dedicated to the god Jupiter Children were kept until the age of 20 when they were expelled to form a new community Vestal Virgins Girls from age 6 to 10 were chosen from patrician families Responsible for tending the sacred fire within the Temple of Vesta

6. Education Traditionally unsystematic Generally began education at age 9 Minimal education opportunities for girls (reading, writing, domestic skills, music) Considered more important for boys Richer families would hire tutors 3 basic levels of education: primary (reading, writing, arithmatic, music, gymnastics), secondary (Latin and Greek literature) and higher (public speaking) Occassionally went to “centers of culture” (rhetoric and philosophy)

7. Coming of Age Males Came of age between 14 and 19, usually 17 Began wear toga virilis to mark their new status Went to the Tabularium with family to be officially enrolled Females Married off as young as 13 or 14 years old High infant mortality rates meant that many children died before reaching adulthood