Holly Beers - A Week In the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman

THIS BOOK WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE without the time and space given to me by my husband, Max, and our three young children, Noah, Moses, and Eden. Thank you for understanding, in your own ways, my love for the Bible and need to tell this story.

Anthia held her breath. She was nervous. Doremas labor was not progressing well, and Anthia could see from her friends bloodshot eyes and blank stare that she was exhausted from pushing.

Making a conscious effort to breathe normally, Anthia patted Doremas arm and told her that all was well. Dorema needed to believe it so that she could manage her contractions and push. Anthia stood at Doremas back, where she was supporting her friends body on the birthing stool. The midwife pulled out a small metal mirror and placed it between Doremas legs. See, Dorema! The babys head is here! Look!

Figure P.1. A midwife assists a woman who has recently given birth

Dorema strained to look, and as Anthia moved to assist her she caught a glimpse of herself in the polished metal of the mirror. Her dark hair was parted, as always, in the middle and pulled back into a knot at the back of her head. Her brown eyes were pinched in worry, and her olive skin shimmered with sweat. She reached her arm up to wipe her forehead with the sleeve of her gray tunic, then guided her friends hand down to touch the babys head. Why wont the baby come? she wondered. She had been present during so many deliveries of women in her neighborhood, and she thought she had seen it all: every complication, every stage of labor.

She had been wrong.

This reality was a new one, and she was worried for her friend. The babys head was visible, but it would not progress. Why not? she pondered, as a ripple of fear spread through her body. A new contraction began, and the midwife directed Anthia to support Dorema with both hands as she urged Dorema to push.

Anthia wanted to question the midwife directly: How long has she been pushing? She started before dawn and now the sun is high in the sky. How long can a woman push? At what point does exhaustion take over, so that she cant continue?

Dorema was a close friend. The two women had lived near each other for every one of their eighteen years, playing together as children, fetching water, helping to rear siblings, practicing their family trades, learning to cook, and then, later, becoming wives and mothers. This was Doremas second childbirth experience. Her first baby was a girl, but Doremas husband had not lifted the child from the ground, refusing to claim the girl as his child and raise her. At his direction the midwife had exposed the infant, leaving her in an area of Ephesus known for disposal of unwanted children. Anthia knew it was likely that a slaver had picked up the child, raising her until she was old enough to work and be sold.

Abortion, Infanticide,
and Exposure

Abortion, infanticide, and exposure were practiced widely across the Roman Empire in the first century AD because of poverty, a preference for male children, poor contraception, doubtful parentage/legitimacy (including rape), physical deformity, an evil omen, and a desire for population control. These categories often overlapped; a family in poverty, for example, might expose or kill a female infant because the familys limited resources were understood to be better spent on a male infant.

Opinions varied among ancient philosophers and medical experts on when life began, though it was commonly argued that life began with delivery of the child (and its first breath, or even after it had lived up to forty days). Ancient Roman law did not classify a fetus as a person. Those who did oppose abortion often argued on the grounds of what was best for the state or empire rather than out of concern for the fetus, though Soranus of Ephesus (AD 98137), a physician with an expertise in gynecology, stressed that abortion should only be allowed in cases where the mothers life was at risk.

Abortion was often attempted through the use of vaginal suppositories and potions (including the lupine plant and the plant species Ecballium elaterium, commonly called the squirting cucumber), though sometimes sharp objects were also used. Because of the dangers associated with abortion, however, infanticide (the killing of infants) and exposure were more common. The choice was almost always the fathers, though the act itself would be carried out by a slave or midwife. Exposed infants were placed in baskets or pots and abandoned in a variety of places, ranging from deserted areas to public spaces known for exposure (especially in cities). These children died or were raised by slavers as commodities; occasionally they were adopted and raised as legitimate children.

These practices were legal in the ancient world because of the low societal value placed on children. Part of this value was a practical judgment, as only about half of children lived to their fifth birthday due mainly to malnutrition and disease. However, it is important to note that all Jewish and Christian literature available to us condemns these practices, and Roman writers who discuss the topic malign Jews for raising all the children that are born to them.