Families in the Roman and Late Antique World

289 Pages·2012·2.07 MB·English

by  Mary Harlow

Families in the Roman and Late
Antique World
The Family in Antiquity
Titles in this series:
I: Families in the Greco-Roman World – edited by Ray Laurence and Agneta
Strömberg
II: Families in the Roman and Late Antique World – edited by Mary Harlow
and Lena Larsson Lovén
Families in the Roman and Late
Antique World
Edited by Mary Harlow and Lena Larsson Lovén
Continuum International Publishing Group
The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane
11 York Road Suite 704
London SE1 7NX New York, NY 10038
www.continuumbooks.com
© Mary Harlow and Lena Larsson Lovén, with the Contributors, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission
from the publishers.
First published 2012
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-4411-7079-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Typeset by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NN
Contents
List of illustrations and tables vii
Abbreviations x
Preface xiii
1 Introduction: Looking Forward 1
Mary Harlow and Lena Larsson Lovén
2 Pliny the Nephew: Youth and Family Ties across Generations and
Genders 7
Claude-Emmanuelle Centlivres Challet
3 ‘Vixit Plus Minus’. Commemorating the Age of the Dead: Towards a
Familial Roman Life Course? 23
Ray Laurence and Francesco Trifilò
4 ‘No part in earthly things’. The Death, Burial and Commemoration
of Newborn Children and Infants in Roman Italy 41
Maureen Carroll
5 The Representation of Physical Contact on Roman Tombstones 64
Jason Mander
6 Nieces and Nephews: An Epigraphic Approach 85
Sabine Armani
7 A Bioarchaeological Perspective on the Pre-Adult Stages of the Life
Course: Implications for the Care and Health of Children in the
Roman Empire 111
Rebecca C. Redfern and Rebecca L. Gowland
8 Roman Family Reliefs and the Commemoration of Work: Text,
Images and Ideals 141
Lena Larsson Lovén
9 Death and the Family: Widows and Divorcées in Roman Egypt 157
April Pudsey
vi CoNTENTS
10 Imperial Blood: Family Relationships in the Dynasty of Constantine
the Great 181
Shaun Tougher
11 Written in Stone: Gendered Ideals and the Byzantine Family 199
Eve Davies
12 Left-over Romans: The Life Course in the Late Antique West 221
Chris Callow and Mary Harlow
13 Fatherhood in Late Antique Gaul 238
Emma Southon
14 Afterword: Possibilites 254
Natalie Kampen
Notes on contributors 265
Index 268
List of illustrations and tables
ILLuSTRATIoNS
3.1 Comparison by quantity of the total and plus minus samples 26
3.2 Comparison by percentage of total and plus minus datasets
(percentage values in all calculations and charts are rounded to the
nearest whole number) 27
3.3 Representation of chronological age without a mention of plus
minus (n.: 23,227). Key indicator defined as ages with a value
of 2 per cent or greater 30
3.4 Percentage representation of key ages in the ‘plus minus’ dataset
(n.: 1790). on comparison with all represented ages a value of
1 per cent is to be considered average. Significant peaks start
from a value of 2 per cent 31
3.5 Measure of the distribution of commemorative age – a 0 value
represents the full usage of all ages; whereas a value of 12 represents
a minimal usage of ages apart from those ending in 0 and 5 34
3.6 Total sample (i.e. no mention of plus minus) subdivided by
age groups. Quantities are expressed as percentages of the
inscriptions by gender 36
3.7 Plus minus sample by age groups. Quantities are expressed as
percentages of each gender within the group of inscriptions 37
4.1 Burial of an infant six to nine months of age in an amphora in
the Porta Nocera cemetery at Pompeii. Photo École Française de
Rome, Antoine Gailliot 51
4.2 Terracotta feeding bottle found in the grave (Tomb 70) of a
neonate at Portorecanati. Drawing J. Willmott 52
4.3 Funerary relief depicting the breast-feeding of an infant, Rome
(Vatican Museums). Drawing J. Willmott 52
4.4 Marble epitaph of Satyrus, aged eight months, eight days
and three hours, set up by his father Jason in the Isola Sacra
cemetery at Portus. Photograph by the author 53
4.5 Funerary altar of a mother with two boys; 11 months old,
and 3 months and 10 days old, Rome (Vatican Museums).
Photograph by the author 53
viii LIST oF ILLuSTRATIoNS AND TABLES
4.6 Limestone statue of Mater Matuta suckling a swaddled infant, from
Satricum (Villa Giulia, Rome). Photograph by the author 53
4.7 (a to e): Life-size terracotta votives in the form of swaddled infants,
from Tarquinia (Ara della Regina), Falerii, Gravisca, Satricum and
Campetti Veio (Drawings by J. Willmott, not to scale) 54
5.1 Stele of Aelius Quartinus and family (detail). Enns, Museum
Lauriacum, inv. R X 176. Photograph: o. Harl; in 2.5
(www.ubi-erat-lupa.org) 66
5.2 Relief for a family from Noricum. St Veit an der Glan, Pfarrkirche.
Photograph: o. Harl; in 2.5 (www.ubi-erat-lupa.org) 69
5.3 Relief of the Vettii. Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, inv. 125830.
Photo by Singer, Neg. D-DAI-Rom 1973.0752 71
5.4 Stele for a family from Noricum. Enns, Museum Lauriacum, inv.
R X 177. Photograph: o. Harl; in 2.5 (www.ubi-erat-lupa.org) 74
5.5 Stele of Iulia Priscilla and family. Szombathely, Savaria Múzeum,
inv. 67.10.120. Photograph: o. Harl; in 2.5 (www.ubi-erat-lupa.org) 75
5.6 Medallion for a family from Dacia. Bucharest, Muzeul
National de Istorie a României, inv. 66446. Photo from
www.arachne.uni-koeln.de, FA630-07 76
5.7 Stele for Valerius Saturninus and son (detail). Tata, Angolpark
(English Gardens). Kuny Domokos Megyei Múzeum, Tata.
Photo: o. Harl (www.ubi-erat-lupa.org) 77
5.8 Relief for two couples from Noricum. Seggauberg, Schloss Seggau.
Photograph: o. Harl; in 2.5 (www.ubi-erat-lupa.org) 78
7.1 Distal epiphysis of the femur (thigh bone) at various stages of
development prior to fusion, from youngest to oldest (left to right) 116
7.2 Distal end of the femur with the epiphysis recently fused and the
fusion line clearly visible 116
7.3. Evidence for the embryotomy procedure observed in a fullterm
individual from Poundbury Camp (England) © The Natural History
Museum, London 122
7.4. Evidence for healing fractures in two ribs in an infant
from Poundbury Camp, England © The Natural History
Museum, London 125
7.5. Radiograph of the femora and tibiae of a 1- to 2-year old infant
from Poundbury Camp (England) showing evidence for rickets © The
Natural History Museum, London 126
8.1 Present state of the tomb of Eurysaces, the baker, at Porta
Maggiore, Rome. Photograph by the author 142
8.2 The funerary relief of the Gavii, S. Giovanni in Laterano, Rome.
Photograph by the author 144
8.3 The funerary relief of the Antestii, Vatican Museums, Rome.
Photograph courtesy of Deutsches Archäologisches Instituts, Rom,
D-DAI-RoM-43.455 148
LIST oF ILLuSTRATIoNS AND TABLES ix
8.4 The funerary relief of the Ampudii, British Museum London.
Photograph courtesy © Trustees of the British Museum 149
11.1 Quantity of male and female inscriptions 206
11.2 Age at death on second-century tombstones 207
11.3 Percentage of collective inscriptions, first to eighth century 213
TABLES
3.1 Key ages found in literary texts 28
5.1 Physical contact in select Danube provinces 73
6.1 Some examples of the use of nepos and its derivates in Hispania in
a familial context 87
6.2 Names of the sobrinus, -a and of his (her) relatives 93
9.1 Single adult women who are potentially widows/divorcées, by
age group 160
9.2 Apparently single women, divorced, widowed or not married, who
reside with adult kin: sons, daughters, siblings (who are either
married or unmarried) 161
9.3 Apparently single women, divorced, widowed or not married, who
reside within exclusively female households (with exception of male
slaves, in some cases) 166
9.4 Apparently single women, divorced, widowed or not married, who
reside with non-kin males (who may be the only adult male in the
household) 167
9.5 Apparently single women, divorced, widowed or not married, who
remarried 168
9.6 Apparently single women, divorced, widowed or not married who
have minor (or very young) children and did not remarry 169
9.7 Widowers and divorcés 170
10.1 The descendents of Constantius I and Helena 192
10.2 The descendents of Constantius I and Theodora 192
10.3 The family of Julius Constantius 192
11.1 Quantity of epitaphs 201
11.2 Percentage of male and female inscriptions including age at death 204