A dark side of childhood in Roman society

Children are an important part of human society, although they are rarely heard from the distant past. This monograph explores and reconstructs the world of the children of Roman citizens and the structure and social framework of the child’s life in the family and society of the Roman Empire, particularly the issues of violence and death in children’s lives. It analyses children’s encounters with violence and death, examining the role of the child as a victim in extreme situations (when confronted with violence or death) and as an active agent who may transgress social norms and commit violence or other forms of crime, or face death, their own and that of their loved ones.