Why Historian Mark Golden's Article Did The Ancients Care When Their Children Died?

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Historian Mark Golden argues in his article, “Did the Ancients Care when their Children Died?”, that there is little evidence supporting that Romans and other ancient parents failed to care for their children or to mourn their loss. A child’s death is used as an example of tragedy throughout ancient texts such as those written by Herodotus and Thucydides. Parents took great measure to ensure their children’s survival. This is seen in the usage of amulets, dog dung, skin and teeth of wolves and many others to avert diseases and other misfortunes. In his article Golden references Lawrence Stones argument that “affection and love were not to be expected in pre-industrial populations because high mortality made emotional commitment, especially

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