Reading the newspaper on Saturday I came across an
article about the Japanese imperial family. This family is on the throne
for a 125 generations, but now, for the first time in history, the family is
about to die out. There are only seven males left, of which only one is younger
than 45. If Prince Hisahito (now 5) doesn’t have any sons, he would be the last
one on the throne. This due to a law which only allows male to sit on the Chrysanthemum
Throne and excludes females after marriage. This narrows the line of succession
to a minimum.
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| A Roman family; a relief from the Ara Pacis (Uffizi Gallery, Florence) |
A similar feature happened in ancient Rome. Not all circumstances
were the same, but in the end the outcome was similar. Families died out
(legally) due to the lack of a male heir. Above all was Roman life dominated by
a high mortality and a high fertility figure. The high mortality figure is
caused by diseases, bad hygiene and ineffective medical care. Next to these
causes the mortality figure is heightened through battle, proscription (legal
murder) and civil war. With an expected life expectancy at birth of 25, appr.
one third of the infants die before their first birthday. This high mortality
had its impact on family life. Due to the high mortality and the wish for the
continuation of the family line, many children could be necessary. But due to the Roman inheritance rules too many children were a disadvantage for the family
fortune.
