Childlessness in the Late Republic and Early Roman Empire

Williams, Rhian Jane 2023. Childlessness in the Late Republic and Early Roman Empire. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis is an interdisciplinary study of childlessness in Roman society from the beginning of the first century BCE to the early part of the second century CE. Childlessness can be either voluntary or involuntary as a result of infertility. There has been significant research of infertility in the Greek world; regarding the Roman world, there has been limited investigation, and there has been no investigation into voluntary childlessness in antiquity. Part one of the thesis is a social analysis, exploring perceptions and attitudes through the lens of the Augustan legislation and Roman satire. I argue that the new imperial state had anxiety about childlessness; that it felt that some people were deliberately choosing not to have children and strove to regulate conduct through punitive law making. Through the lens of legacy hunting, a trope of Roman satire, childlessness was highlighted in the Roman world. Those who were childless seemingly wielded significant power which, in turn, likely enhanced the impression that some voluntarily chose not to have children. Part two explores involuntary childlessness, infertility. I show that there was discussion amongst medical writers, physicians, and philosophers of the reasons why some women and men had difficulty in conceiving. Also, I examine the various treatments advocated to assist conception. As infertility is also defined as the inability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth, I argue that Roman foetuses were at great risk due to malaria, premature birth and from difficult or obstructed childbirth. I conclude that childlessness was an issue during the era, indicated by the visibility of the topic across a wide spectrum of sources.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D051 Ancient History D History General and Old World > D History (General) D History General and Old World > DG Italy
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 October 2023
Date of Acceptance:	18 October 2023
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2023 10:37
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/163281

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