Growing Up Fatherless in Antiquity
Author | : Sabine R. Hübner |
Publisher | : Cambridge University Press |
Total Pages | : 335 |
Release | : 2009-02-19 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781139475334 |
ISBN-13 | : 1139475339 |
Rating | : 4/5 (339 Downloads) |
Download or read book Growing Up Fatherless in Antiquity written by Sabine R. Hübner and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-02-19 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the changes in the traditional family accelerated toward the end of the twentieth century, a great deal of attention came to focus on fathers, both modern and ancient. While academics and politicians alike singled out the conspicuous and growing absence of the modern father as a crucial factor affecting contemporary family and social dynamics, ancient historians and classicists have rarely explored ancient father-absence, despite the likelihood that nearly a third of all children in the ancient Mediterranean world were fatherless before they turned fifteen. The proportion of children raised by single mothers, relatives, step-parents, or others was thus at least as high in antiquity as it is today. This book assesses the wide-ranging impact high levels of chronic father-absence had on the cultures, politics, and families of the ancient world.