{"id":9467,"date":"2023-10-28T00:30:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T23:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=9467"},"modified":"2023-10-28T00:30:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T23:30:15","slug":"what-was-child-mortality-like-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/what-was-child-mortality-like-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"What Was Child-Mortality Like In Ancient Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Newborn Children In Ancient Rome<\/h2>\n

In Ancient Rome, newborn children had a much different experience from that of those in the modern world. The mortality rate for babies was much higher than it is today, and the social structure had much lower expectations for the safety of children.<\/p>\n

In Ancient Rome, there was a practice known as the dawning of infants. On the fifth or ninth day after a child was born, a ceremony would be conducted in which the child would be exposed to the gods. The parents would place the baby in a secluded area, usually a public place outside. If it was not taken by a passerby within the next few days, the child would be taken back home by the parents.<\/p>\n

In some cases, the parents may have made the decision not to take a newborn child home. This could have been the case if the child was severely ill, had deformities, or the family could not afford to take the infant home, such as with slave parents.<\/p>\n

In addition to the practice of exposing newborns, ancient Roman culture also placed little value on the safety or wellbeing of infants. There was no expectation that all children would survive, and there was no social or religious pressure placed on protecting newborns. This may be because of the high mortality rate for children in ancient times. <\/p>\n