How They Did It - Growing Up Roman

welcome to how they did it a show where we take a look at the daily lives of our ancestors in this video we'll be exploring what it was like to grow up Roman a big thanks is owed to our sponsor is Squarespace for making this video possible let's start with the social framework within which Romans were raised the idealized form of the Roman family was distinctly separated from the modern understanding of the nuclear family the head of the household the paterfamilias was the core of the family with his wife and children as his subordinates the next circle of the familial sphere included the rest of the household including slaves and their children all were ostensibly subject to the paterfamilias who ran the household with as much authority as he wished these households could be widely ranging in size and for a wealthy landowner is familias could number in the thousands depending on the size of the estate his responsibility was to maintain and further the family name the symbol of which was often the home while homes in the ancient world were bought and sold just as much as they are today the primary residence of a family wealthy enough to own a house was always focused around the family and their history the atrium of the house for example was filled with the faces busts or masks of the ancestors of the family with the memory of their achievements being thus preserved this then was the context for a Roman child growing up and the cultural ideas that were consciously and unconsciously imprinted upon them our story will start with child birth itself which was a universal experience fraught with danger for everyone involved a huge number of children died in or soon after childbirth with modern estimates ranging somewhere between 40 and 50 percent and it was the greatest cause of death for women in the ancient world consequently childbirth itself was a central focus for both religious and medical superstition the list of protective and patron deities surrounding child birth and infancy is too numerous to truly count but a short list includes the following medical superstition too often focused around childbirth it was considered that if the winter was windy and wet and if the spring was cold and dry women would either miscarry or give birth to weak children barely alive and more likely than not to die conveniently this categorization could be applied to any birth in such a year since pregnancies take about nine months when the baby was ready to be born midwives would be called potentially with a male doctor on hand in case of a difficult birth there were other superstitions meant to encourage good health such as washing the baby with a sultan or rub and a warm bath paying close attention to the eyes nose and mouth if the infant survived childbirth it was placed on the floor to be inspected by the paterfamilias who was tasked with the decision of whether or not to accept the child into the family if he lifted the child it was a ceremonial acceptance into the family if he turned away leaving the child it would be taken by midwives or slaves and abandoned abandonment was an extremely common practice in the Roman world especially for families that could not afford a daughter it was not necessarily a death sentence for the infant however slavers patrol the streets of Rome specifically for these infants and upon finding one would take it to raise the child into a life of slavery while they could ostensibly free themselves upon reaching adulthood doing so would require them to prove their citizenship a virtually impossible task but a popular plot point in ancient drama for the accepted newborn their birth was celebrated about a week after they were born eight days for girls nine for boys at this festival friends and relatives were invited to celebrate and the child was named firstborn male children would often receive their father's name for example Julius Caesar's father was also named Gaius Julius Caesar as was his father before him subsequently boys would receive a name from the tiny pool of Roman first names or pre no Meah Gaius Gaius Lucius Marcus Publius Titus a pious fauces Decimus Octavius Quintus Septimus and sexist were some of the most common names were split into three parts the prey no men or personal name the gnomon or family name and the cog no men the family identifier so for the aforementioned example Gaius Julius Caesar Gaius was his prey no men he was of the family of the Julii I and from the cesari's branch of the Juliana women were only given a feminized version of the gnomon for instance Julius Caesar's daughter was named Julia if more than one daughter was born into a family the Julia's were distinguished with numbers julia julia segunda Giulia tirsia and so on we've got a whole video on this topic if you're interested in learning more at this first ceremony the child was also given a bula a protective amulet that by tradition would have kept them safe until they reached adulthood these were absolutely given to boys but evidence is inconclusive over whether girls also received one both boys and girls as young children would wear a white toga with a purple border in public singling them out as a youth in need of protection depending on the wealth of the family the child would also be assigned a wet nurse the reasons could be many the mother may not have been able to produce milk may have wished to conceive again as quickly as possible may have died in childbirth or simply wish to preserve her figure the last of which was a common slander by traditionalist male writers who decried the practice breastfeeding was considered to make a woman prematurely old but also was traditionally seen as one of the most essential steps in the rearing of a child values and virtues were considered to be imparted through the milk and thus since wet nurses were often either slaves or extremely poor themselves the child could be corrupted through such a practice this became a useful scapegoat for older generations to decry the youth for their moral flaws as well as the decadence which they claimed was destroying their - in their youth babies were swaddled to give them the optimal form to encourage right-handedness and other general body manipulation for example if the baby's nose was considered to be too flat it would be pinched for babies with to sharpen nose it would be flattened the practice was considered to be part of molding a child for adulthood to give them an optimal body to encourage optimal values parents hovered over their children attempting to protect them as much as possible while death rates did fall drastically after the first year death rates for youth were extremely high up until the age of about 10 infancy in the Roman world lasted until the age of seven marked by the general age of a child's baby teeth falling out before this age child care was heavily focused within the house a nurse would be provided for children slave or free if the family could afford one theories on child care varied as much as they do today Cato the Elder took an extremely personal role in his child's upbringing refusing to allow any outside nurse or caretaker to come near him this however was certainly more of an exception among the aristocracy in later years especially when the Tiber was too polluted for people to use it to teach their children to swim more standard practice would be the things that Seneca suggests often focusing on moderation the nurse of the child often took on an extremely maternal role in the child's life developing a lifelong bond the nurses offered a womanly perspective into child rearing and they had their male counterpart the pedagogy's like the nurse the pedagogic was usually a slave or freedmen and they fulfilled many of the same roles as the nurse teaching the child how to speak well walk properly sit properly eat properly dress appropriately and show respect as the child grew older the nurse interacted with them less and the pedagogue more like the nurse they seemed to have been viewed generally fondly by the child as the child entered adulthood and often remained on close terms with them there are a number of anak of the pedagogues putting their life at risk to protect the child and major public figures like Augustus Caesar often publicly honored their pedagogue as later in life plenty the younger gave his own childhood nurse a farm there were of course cases of abuse as a result of the power that the pedagogue has held over the child especially when the child was female one note tells of a pedagogue Asst who seduced the daughter of an equestrian the paterfamilias promptly executed both the pedagogue as a slave and his own daughter however Roman kids were not always stuck to the sides of their wards children then is now thoroughly enjoyed playing games with what they had Manutius felix describes an anecdote of children skipping stones seneca describes some other small games such as knucklebones make-believe at senator's playing law courts and building sandcastles yet more activities included swimming fishing fighting spinning tops games with balls and hoops blind man's bluff guessing games dolls toy soldiers riddles athletics wrestling discus running jumping riding broomsticks and my personal favorite Octavian's versed and toni ins basically an older version of cowboys vers Indians inspired on the Civil War major generals there are few anecdotes of children below the age of seven but here is one of an infant just learning to talk and his grandfather writing an adorably relatable letter about it you can pause the video now to read it there's another slightly less adorable one about how Nero had his stepson murdered while he was fishing since the boy played general and Emperor children from less fortunate families were brought up directly by their immediate and extended families as the resources to buy or hire help would not have been available from an early age these boys and girls were an extra pair of hands for the family because source material is self-selecting for wealthier members of society and because of the already highly limited material for discussing children of the ancient world there is little direct evidence for these children from poorer communities however their games would have been similar to those of their wealthier can pay treats for example in law guesses deafness and Chloe to rural children mostly make up their free time by alternately learning farm life and playing or swimming in the countryside at the age of seven a child would begin their primary education the pedagogue would become much more central to the child's life here the youth left the nest of the house and started to learn the intrinsic workings of the world the pedagogue was often a mentor and a guide in these things teaching them the way to comport themselves in public teaching them why things happen the way they did the rules of society and even small things such as how to find your way around the city theaters included a special section for boys and immediately next to it a section for the pedagogy's depending on the pedagogue the method of guidance can be done in remarkably different ways some might choose to maintain calm in the face of all of their charges bucking against their proverbial reins while others might choose a far more physical approach beating children who were out of place was not only expected but encouraged even of slaves who were in the role of mentor and it was considered to be simply the way of things casual brutality was not out of place in the Roman world to a degree that would horrify any modern observer while the pedagogue is provided much tutelage education would be supplemented by schools these were generally focused around the subjects of grammar and rhetoric but others such as music dance mathematics can also be included the study of grammar is woefully inadequate descriptor of what these schools actually offered including everything from literacy to extensive literature and poetry study which were essential tools of artistry society and nobility in the ancient world the schools could also be quite punitive by modern standards for example they made full use of forcing children to write lines when they had caused trouble but instead of writing things like I will not throw chalk the Roman schoolchildren were more likely to write work hard boy less you be thrashed and indeed these teachers had a full carte blanche to beat the children however they fit and for whatever reason if the child was particularly slow particularly quiet particularly disruptive unprepared for class or simply rude but it wasn't all stick and no carrot for instance if a child did practically well the pedagogic often bring them by a bakery on the way home to choose a treat as a reward outside the school the child was raised with their future in mind the father would begin to take larger role in their son's life while the mother would take a larger role in the daughter's girls were prepared for their transition into adulthood that was generally marked with marriage in their teenage years they were taught to spin weave so an embroider and these were considered to be great talents it was considered a point of pride to be able to say that you only were the clothes that were made by your wife as Augustus himself regularly flaunted while most sources of women are from the male perspective epitaphs and engravings that offer these things as a focus are quite common for rural and poorer girls that would be used to help with the family business just as much as their brothers would be as farmhands dyers bakers or traders schools could be quite expensive and affording such an education was not a luxury offered to all boys were taught in a more social aspect by their fathers between the ages of 7 and 14 the youth would have some decision-making power being given more and more responsibility over household matters every decision however had to be ratified by his guardian or paterfamilias he would be introduced to his father's associates would be allowed to silently observe business routines and would learn what was expected of him in his world this was often the stage of life where boys were hardened for the world head whether that involved camping and swimming and freezing temperatures are being beaten bloody it was considered to be a vital step to manhood for girls coming into their womanhood there is no extant record of any festival that was held to celebrate their puberty or coming of age while that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence it does certainly limit any discussion of the topic other than musing that it may have been a ritual observed by the women of the house far more important was her marriage which would generally happen around the age of 15 this included a sacrifice of all of her childhood toys a bridal coffer adorned with the spear blade and red slippers and veil from here the optimal girl took on the role of a Roman Matrona being the wife of her own paterfamilias this of course was not the absolute standard teenage girls did not always marry at this age especially if they were not of the upper crust sadly again there is minimal evidence discussing this we do have occasional epitaphs they give us some glimpses into the lives of women in the Roman world as shopkeepers fish sellers or even readers but those fragments are precious few when it comes to the boys ancient writers had a difficult time describing young men between 14 and 22 on the one hand they were considered to be adult men on the other they were also seen to be infected by some sort of madness which they recovered in their early 20s after this there would be normal members of society being given the right to run for public office and lead a normal life Ptolemy has a delightful classification of youth essentially describing the young man as absolutely impetuous with desire an inclination which cannot be prevented or resisted and therefore must just be accepted and endured this characteristic was far from innocent and a common trope is that these young men were often preyed upon by politicians looking for an easily riled base Cataline was said to a first turn to the youth as they would be the most easily convinced by him Cicero complains about the mannerisms of the youth at length where he actively suggests that their wanton ways are antithetical to the survival of the state itself this stage for boys was marked with a ritual public or private indoctrinating them into manhood the ritual could take place anytime between the ages of 14 to 17 in it the boy would take off the bula and toga pray texta putting on the toga virilis or the white toga of manhood while the celebration can be held in private it was often sent for liberally ah on the 17th of March when the young boy his male relatives and any well-wishers especially those who wanted to get in the family's good graces would go to the temple early in the morning make sacrifices then head back home and through a large family party this day marked the first time in a boy's life when he was literally freed the pedagogue is no longer had any power over him and he was legally at least fully an adult the next year's generally between 14 and 17 would we spent exploring his newfound freedom with which the young man could now test his own limits his only official responsibility was to begin his military training to prepare for the age of 17 when he would officially begin his military service during this time period young men often exercised the limits of their rebelliousness occasionally moving out into an apartment of their own though these were tiny generally relatively uncomfortable and safety standards were laughably non-existent once they are out these youths generally caused enough trouble that by the second century AD laws were in place to force them to have curators think modern lawyers present before they could enact any business transaction this was entirely based off of previously existing standards for the care of the clinically insane giving a general idea of how the Romans saw these youths this period of their lives was outwardly marked by their facial hair Roman teenagers did not shave until they had their first full beard meaning that their teenage years were spent sporting wispy beginnings the fuller the beard the closer the youth was to being a responsible adult the beard was usually cut in a man's early 20s at the festival of lumen alia where the newly minted man would sacrifice Bullock's and dedicate the clippings of his first beard to a deity the freedom of youth was often taken advantage of by older men as well a generally hairless body was often considered extremely attractive and those who shaved or plucked their body hair were considered to be more effeminate and teenagers who were attending the baths for the first time without a tutor present were considered to be extremely attractive sexual targets another famous festival for these use specifically was the Lupercalia on this festival the Roman youths of the city were led to the cave how the looper cow were Romulus and Remus were apparently suckled by the she-wolf after sacrificing a dog and goats the sacrificial knife was wiped unto the foreheads of the two leaders of the youth then wiped away with wool dipped in goat's milk the youth then ate the sacrifices made cords out of goat skins and then naked they ran through the streets of Rome whipping the women around them with the ropes to promote fertility in the eyes of the state this time was also considered to be the best one of a man's life to recruit him into the military before the 1st century BCE during the Roman Republic military service was compulsory for all male citizens for at least 16 campaigns during their teenage years men were as above seemed to be hot-headed yet pliable full of energy and passion yet without the capability of real thinking therefore they were the perfect years to mold them into optimal soldiers these were the hasta the frontlines of the Roman army during the Republic even later during the empire municipalities would only allow people to enter a magistracy after having served a certain number of years of campaigns with the army the military was seen as the final mold into which these young men were pressed that would then turn them from boys to men as we head into adulthood young men were often married soon after they shaved their beards and that move marked a firm departure into the realm of responsibility it was the final mark of adulthood and was heavily encouraged so that he might quickly produce an heir at this time the man could run for public office if he had the connections or he might take over his own business or that of his father for women marriage also marked the beginning of their adult life with the caveat that they began at a far younger age they were expected to fulfill the role of a Roman Matrona beautiful chaste devoted pious modest an exemplary seamstress wool worker a thrifty manager of the household and most importantly a mother many of these traits are in in the epitaphs erected by a mourning husband and young women often strove to live up to these expectations she was also expected to run the household ensure that her children were being brought up appropriately and attended host social occasions entertain any and all female guests and support her own original family to whatever extent possible her husband was often much older as in the case of Agrippa marrying Julia when she was 18 and he was in his 40s another example is of plenty the younger who married his final wife when she was 15 and he was 39 and thus we have come full circle to where these married couples would begin to raise their own children I hope that this closer look at the family life of the Romans has helped you gain a better understanding of their society and has given you a greater appreciation for the humanity of history that goes forgotten in most textbooks if you enjoy this type of content definitely watch the rest of our how they did it series and check out ancient history magazine which focuses exclusively on daily life in the past they've recently published a great issue on the Roman family which I highly recommend checking out finally in closing I'd like to once again thank Squarespace for making this video possible their awesome platform makes it super easy to build and customize your own website they've got a number of great features for your online needs for instance audio block allows you to embed audio on your site and tag it for iTunes within a blog this is great for setting up your own podcast additionally as a content creator you'll be thrilled to hear about their sync feature which allows you to link up all your social media accounts to the website and post simultaneously across all of them there's a ton more to be excited about you can start your own free trial today and enjoy 10% off your first purchase by going to Squarespace comm slash Invicta a huge thanks is owed to our supporters on patreon and the many talented researchers writers and artists who made this video possible please consider contributing to fund future content if you found this topic interesting check out these related videos about our fascinating past be sure to LIKE and subscribe for more history and check out our description for ways to support the channel and as always thanks for watching

Channel: Invicta

Views: 1,272,279

Rating: 4.9464569 out of 5

Keywords: how they did it, everyday moments in history, invicta history, growing up roman, daily life, roman documentary, roman history, daily life in ancient rome, ancient roman teenager, roman teenager, roman marriage, invicta, roman family, hbo rome, romans for kids, history for kids, life in ancient rome documentary, elementary video adventures life in ancient rome, roman history podcast, education in ancient rome, women in ancient rome, ancient rome

Id: 7w38PL4kg4A

Length: 24min 24sec (1464 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 30 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/Kiu_98]

Concerning the bulla, girls wore an equivalent of it: the lunula, it was a crescent moon shaped pendant worn as an apotropaic amulet until the eve of their marriage, it was then removed along with other things.

[u/rhoadsalive]

The cognomen is however not a family name but a personal nickname for that person.

[u/PseudonymousDev]

The most annoying guy I know also mispronounces "subsequent/subsequently" in the same way as this narrator. Always drives me insane.