W. R. Macdonell 
3G9 
From Figure 1 we see that, contrary to modern experience, the curve for 
females always lies below that for males until about the age of 75 ; after that age 
the two curves practically coincide. For the first 20 years the male curve remains 
fairly level, while the female curve goes steadily down, until the difference between 
the two reaches a maximum about the 20th year ; both remain level for the next 
10 years, and then they gradually approach, the female curve rising until about 45 
and thereafter falling. If our data had been ampler we should no doubt have had 
curves of a steady downward slope, as in the case of the African expectation. 
The most striking feature of the diagram is the very low expectation of life 
in ancient Rome, as compared with that of the present day, up to the age of 40, 
and especially for the first 20 years of life. This might be accounted for to some 
extent if we had reason to think that monuments in memory of persons who died 
before reaching 20 were likely to be erected in relatively greater numbers than in 
the case of older people. But I know of no reason to suppose that this was the 
case ; indeed the probability seems to be the other way, for we might reasonably 
assume on general grounds that the older a man was the more likely he would be 
to make his mark in the social group to which he belonged, and be considered 
worthy of a tombstone and inscription. In the absence of definite information 
I think we may conclude that there was a relatively heavy mortality at the earlier 
ages, due probably to circumstances peculiar to Rome, for, as we shall see, the 
expectation of life was much higher in the earlier decades of age in the Provinces 
than in the Capital. 
Between 50 and 60 ancient and modern expectations are very much the same, 
and after 60 the ancients had the advantage. The latter is a remarkable fact, 
but it is just what we should expect if the view that there was a heavy mortality 
amongst the young is correct; by severe selection of the young the survivors 
would be of specially strong physique, and would therefore show a high expectation 
of life. 
Married Women. Out of the total of 3490 females I have noted 897 whom the 
inscriptions specially record as having been wives or mothers, and I find that up 
to the 20th year their expectation is greater than that of all women, the difference 
ranging from 4f at the age of 10 down to 1 at the age of 20 ; but after the 
25th year it is less, the maximum difference being 2*8. 
In connection with this question, it would have been interesting to know at 
what ages the Roman women married, but unfortunately I have found only 
59 inscriptions from which this information can be ascertained. These 59 record 
both age at death and duration of marriage ; the facts are shown in Table II. 
The first and last entries look doubtful, but the others seem reasonable, and would 
point to marriages at 10 to 20 having been quite usual. This custom of early 
marriages might explain to some extent the low expectation of life for women 
at that period, but little weight can be placed on this conclusion, as the data are 
so scanty. 
