Why was the life span of the Ancient Romans so short?

Question

The average Ancient Roman (circa B.C., give or take several millenium) woman's life expectancy was only 30 years, 40 max.

I understand their life was physically much harder than ours, they didn't have vaccinations and HMO's, and they (except the royalty) had to work their arses off every day (no washing machines, of course), and they enjoyed all sorts of sexual/reproductive diseases/injuries/sicknesses and produced one baby per year from their 12th birthday to the day they died....if a woman was healthy, free of sickness/injury, why the short life span?

And why do we live so long now in comparison (besides the obvious, like better nutrition and prenatal care)?

Answer 1

Cinderella, I think that you mentioned all the factors. What else do you want ?
Nowadays, besides prenatal care, nutrition, vaccinations, we have a much better understanding of Medicine, medications to fight disease ( the Romans treated hemorrhoids with a red hot iron ) surgery ( they based their knowledge of Anatomy on Galen's writings who dissected pigs and monkeys ) laboratory procedures, X rays, many other discoveries

Answer 2

The big reason life spans have increased so much recently is the number of children born that reach puberty is much higher now than in the past. Childhood diseases used to kill somewhere between 60 and 70% of all children born in the past. So families would give birth to a dozen or more children and 3-5 would become adults.

If you followed a 30 yr old they would likely live into their 60s. So it is misleading to think that it was rare to see 40 and 50 yr old people.

Remember that a family might have 12 children and 2 would reach 60 because almost all those children never reached age 5.

Population studies show that when life expectancy increases or decreases by a decade that results from child mortality not geriatrics

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why was the life span of the Ancient Romans so short?
The average Ancient Roman (circa B.C., give or take several millenium) woman's life expectancy was only 30 years, 40 max.

I understand their life was physically much harder than ours, they didn't have vaccinations and HMO's, and they (except the royalty) had to work their arses off...

Answer 4

You are talking about the average life span. Infant mortality was a lot higher and that brings the average down. More women died in child birth, it was very risky. And you have to remember the other factors, war and minimal nutrition.

Answer 5

Elizabeht H. is right. This average certainly contains infant mortality. If you'd find an average which disqualifys the first years life, it yould certainly be considerably higher.

Answer 6

Life was a lot tougher back then for almost a different races and groups, you kind of answerd your own question, we live longer now because we've gone soft. the human body takes forever to decompose now because of all the preservitives in everyting we eat, maybe thats got something to do with it.

Answer 7

lol, plumb (Pb) [in] their dishes!
( honestly, I'm not joking! coz they made dishes from that toxic metal.)