- Hardcover: 376 pages
- Publisher: Routledge; 2nd Revised edition edition (18 Feb 1993)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0415043662
- ISBN-13: 978-0415043663
- Product Dimensions: 1.4 x 2.2 x 0.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,669,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Restless Youth in Ancient Rome
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Product Description
Restless Youth in Ancient Rome presents an inclusive portrayal of the perceptions the Romans had of youth and of the role of this age group in a wide variety of domains - philosphy, literature, education, the law, the army, politics, leisure, amorous pursuits and family life. Emiel Eyben considers the involved farrago of thoughts, feelings and behaviour of youth throughout the period and shows how youth itself put its stamp on its environment.
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Scholars such as J. H. Van den Berg and Ph. Aries - not professional historians by origin - introduced a dramatic innovation in historical approaches. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Scholars such as J. H. Van den Berg and Ph. Aries - not professional historians by origin - introduced a dramatic innovation in historical approaches. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Lots of interesting info
14 July 2006
Format:Hardcover
This is an older book, now out of print, but if you have an interest in Roman society, you should get hold of it...somewhere.
Among Eyben's findings: Romans believed, almost from the start, that the average young man could not be trusted. During this period of youth there were even special legal protections which lasted until he was 25. So the young man, especially if he was rich, was free to wallow in all of Rome's attractions. This period of life started when the boy donned an adult toga and ended with the cursus honorum, or political career.
Among the many pursuits favored by the rich were hunting, which, according to Pliny, was a fine training for war, and swimming. The gymnasia and athletics of all kinds were popular. So were brothels, drinking, and parties. Rowdy behavior by the young frequently degenerated into vandalism, making Rome's streets unsafe after dark.
Famously, Nero "broke into shops and stole...A canteen was set up in the palace where he...auctioned off his booty" (p 109). Eventually Nero's fun turned into murder> The bodies of the men he and his gang of friends killed were dumped into the Tiber.
But most of all, during the time of youth, the spectacles in Rome were a draw--the circus, chariot races, and the bloody, grim games. Romans were games mad and beauty mad. The "youthful dandy was a permanent fixture in Roman antiquity, from 200 BC" (p 98). There was a huge market for luxury items: soft, translucent clothes, tunicas that dragged on the ground, perfumes, decorated footwear that could hardly be walked in, face powders, and jewelry of all sorts.
Marriage was seen as sobering a young man, which is why so many chose never to marry. Most men married after age 25; girls may not even have reached puberty when they were married off. Age 12 was the earliest legal limit for a girl, but the law had no teeth and was frequently ignored.
It is a pity the book couldn't have dealt more with the poor, but this is hardly Eyben's fault, given how scanty our information is on the subject.
Among Eyben's findings: Romans believed, almost from the start, that the average young man could not be trusted. During this period of youth there were even special legal protections which lasted until he was 25. So the young man, especially if he was rich, was free to wallow in all of Rome's attractions. This period of life started when the boy donned an adult toga and ended with the cursus honorum, or political career.
Among the many pursuits favored by the rich were hunting, which, according to Pliny, was a fine training for war, and swimming. The gymnasia and athletics of all kinds were popular. So were brothels, drinking, and parties. Rowdy behavior by the young frequently degenerated into vandalism, making Rome's streets unsafe after dark.
Famously, Nero "broke into shops and stole...A canteen was set up in the palace where he...auctioned off his booty" (p 109). Eventually Nero's fun turned into murder> The bodies of the men he and his gang of friends killed were dumped into the Tiber.
But most of all, during the time of youth, the spectacles in Rome were a draw--the circus, chariot races, and the bloody, grim games. Romans were games mad and beauty mad. The "youthful dandy was a permanent fixture in Roman antiquity, from 200 BC" (p 98). There was a huge market for luxury items: soft, translucent clothes, tunicas that dragged on the ground, perfumes, decorated footwear that could hardly be walked in, face powders, and jewelry of all sorts.
Marriage was seen as sobering a young man, which is why so many chose never to marry. Most men married after age 25; girls may not even have reached puberty when they were married off. Age 12 was the earliest legal limit for a girl, but the law had no teeth and was frequently ignored.
It is a pity the book couldn't have dealt more with the poor, but this is hardly Eyben's fault, given how scanty our information is on the subject.
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