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    Default average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    Thanks,
    Apple.

    edit: I'm referring to death by natural causes, sickness/disease can be lumped in this category too. I'm mainly curious as to how long a rich roman would live if they didn't take too many chances on the battlefield and were "smart" about their health.
    Last edited by applebreath; 11-20-2009 at 17:19.
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    For installation process, I followed the following: RTW Gold > Alexander > EB 1.1 > 1.2 > Official Fixes > 1.2 Mini Mod Pack 3.1 > LZ3's Custom EB Fix Adaptation > Phalanx Mod > RS Textures > Naval Strat Map Add On > Lysander's Sihunet Formations Adaptations > EOM 4 Carthaginian Governors Edition > Atraphoenix' RS Legions Adaptation For ALEXANDER EB > Getting Rid Of The Giant Trees Mod > (I've also modded the Roman reforms to happen sooner, deleted 7 files/folders to get rid of window lights and torches for night battles, and added 3 SKYMOD_BI .txt files for night lighting.) - The only thing missing is a 12 turns per year mod, maybe 6 tpy instead.

  2. #2
    Villiage Idiot Member antisocialmunky's Avatar
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    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    People back in the day could usually live a pretty long time if they were both rich and lived past a certain age. Ramses lived to his 80s and Menes was gored to death by a Hippo also at around the 80s. Antigonos died in battle close to his 80s.

    But by looking at some of the famous figures in the Late Republic and early Empire, you could probably estimate somewhere in the late 50s early 60s if you include non-natural deaths.
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    Member Member Geush's Avatar
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    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    Somewhat related:

    There was an article in the news a few days ago looking at coronary disease in elite Egyptians. They did CT scans of a dozen mummies and found lots of evidence of blockage and its effects.

    Apparently their diet was high in salt and rich in fat, which meant their arteries were totally clogged. They were only living to mid thirties or mid forties, partially as a result of this.

  4. #4

    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    That is pretty interesting..

    Quote Originally Posted by antisocialmunky View Post
    But by looking at some of the famous figures in the Late Republic and early Empire, you could probably estimate somewhere in the late 50s early 60s if you include non-natural deaths.
    By "non-natural", are you mainly referring to death by blade?


    How about for the romans that were not in the elite class, so unnatural causes (sickness, blade, etc) would probably play a big role? 30's - 40's, 20's - 30's?
    Last edited by applebreath; 11-20-2009 at 17:24.
    Imo, the following "mod" is almost perfect:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    For installation process, I followed the following: RTW Gold > Alexander > EB 1.1 > 1.2 > Official Fixes > 1.2 Mini Mod Pack 3.1 > LZ3's Custom EB Fix Adaptation > Phalanx Mod > RS Textures > Naval Strat Map Add On > Lysander's Sihunet Formations Adaptations > EOM 4 Carthaginian Governors Edition > Atraphoenix' RS Legions Adaptation For ALEXANDER EB > Getting Rid Of The Giant Trees Mod > (I've also modded the Roman reforms to happen sooner, deleted 7 files/folders to get rid of window lights and torches for night battles, and added 3 SKYMOD_BI .txt files for night lighting.) - The only thing missing is a 12 turns per year mod, maybe 6 tpy instead.

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    The Rhetorician Member Skullheadhq's Avatar
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    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    Probably not 20-30, but mayme if you take child deaths into calculation it will be something like 20-30 I suppose.
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    Member Member Shylence's Avatar
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    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    I would suppose that for the med' The poorest non slave classes could survive to 40s at least, well i would expect only a few of the very poorest would be alive after 50.

    It would not surprise me, that for the ruling class of romans, there would be people in their 80s.

    These people would me more phiscally active than most of us so i would think they were physically quite fit. and if they were rich enough to have the better diets. I'm sure of 80s for the richest strata of roman society.
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  7. #7

    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    Quote Originally Posted by Geush View Post
    Somewhat related:

    There was an article in the news a few days ago looking at coronary disease in elite Egyptians. They did CT scans of a dozen mummies and found lots of evidence of blockage and its effects.

    Apparently their diet was high in salt and rich in fat, which meant their arteries were totally clogged. They were only living to mid thirties or mid forties, partially as a result of this.
    Yet Ramesses II lived until 90, no wonder people thought he was a God, imagine someone living for three times the average lifespan in modern times!

  8. #8

    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    It seems based on anecdotal evidence (based on numbers given in histories, or found on grave inscriptions) that the life expectancy for the average Roman who survived childhood was late forties-early fifties. But that does not mean that it was unusual for people to live longer. I don't think it would have been surprising for someone to live well into their seventies. And there were some who lived much longer than that. Someone mentioned Augustine lived to 74, but another bishop, who lived slightly before, Hosius of Corduba, one of the bishops who attended the council of Nicaea, lived to be 102. Cicero's first wife, Terentia, lived even longer. Masinissa (who had anything but an easy life) was still leading Numidian armies into his nineties. In his Natural History, Pliny claims that one Roman matron lived to be 115. He actually has a whole chapter on people who lived into their 90's and 100's:
    http://old.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin...=head%3D%23321
    I'm sure that people of lower classes stood less of a chance of living so long, but that does not mean it was impossible. Several of the centenarians that Pliny mentions are dancers (pretty lower as far as Romans were concerned) and in an earlier chapter of the Natural History (7.14) Pliny states that it was not unusual for lower class men(ignobiles vulgaris) to be able to still have children at 75 - implying that a number must have lived at least to that age.

    So while you were much more likely to be struck down early in war, by disease, ect., back then, the upper limit for age was still the same as it is today (i.e. lucky people could still live as long as they do today).
    Last edited by Uticensis; 11-23-2009 at 06:48.

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    The Creator of Stories Member Parallel Pain's Avatar
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    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    But then the upper age limit doesn't really change, as that's what is PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE to live till.

    It's all luck. And it take more luck for them to live to that age than it takes us, by 15 to 20 years, for those who survive childhood.

    Which is still very good mind you.

  10. #10

    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    One of the assumptions that are being made here is that lower class people had a lower life expectancy. Thats not necessarily true though, being richer doesnt make you healthier. Better sanitation is only needed if you live in a dense enviroment like a city. Imagine tribesmen living from farming and some hunting, having acces to undiluted water sources, etc. Some of the more "primitive people" may actually have a healthier life. The Hadza, a hunter-gatherer people in Tanzania, are a modern example. The live in a lifestyle older than 10,000 years but regularly get older than 60, 70.
    Death from childbirth and disease have more to do with the age of the mother and the enviroment (Filthy stinky cities like Rome) than wealth or availability of sanitation and medication. Didn't greek and roman girls got married of young? that most have severely increased childbirth, the healthiest age for a woman to deliver is 25 (read that somewhere not sure).
    Last edited by alexanderthegreater; 11-24-2009 at 19:15.

  11. #11

    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    another issue is that with today´s advancement our weak tend to live longer and most of those who nowadays die of natural causes (even tough for me a dude being shoot in the head it´s a natural cause since someone who is shoot in the head will, naturally, die ) beteween the age of 25 and 35 wouldn´t have passe 15

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    Legatvs Member SwissBarbar's Avatar
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    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    The lower average lifespan of ancient times, is because of the higher infant mortality. If one had survived his first - say 10 - years, there was quite a good chance for him to get 60-80 years....

    Remember Augustus. He's said to have had quite a weakish, morbid health, but still got very old (76 years, IIRC)
    Last edited by SwissBarbar; 11-27-2009 at 17:40.
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    The Creator of Stories Member Parallel Pain's Avatar
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    Default Re: average lifespan of the elite roman class?

    Obviously some people post without reading the thread.

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