Is it safe to say that most people's lifespan during the ancient times is 40+ years?

Question

I know most historian would say this, but I just want to make sure.
By ancient times, I meant things like ancient Egypt, Greek, and Roman Empire.

Answer 1

You'd think the ancients were dropping like flies after the age of 35, but the average age is dragged down where there is high infant mortality. So I'm sure most people lived to a ripe old age if they could just survive the first four years of life.

Answer 2

The figure for average life expectancy is based only on people who live past 5 years old, so infant mortality is not a factor when discussing average lifespan in the ancient world (or anywhere else in any other time period).

I don't have any direct information on other ancient civilizations,but when I was on holiday in Italy 8 or 9 years ago I had a long discussion with a prominent Italian historian of imperial Rome, and he told me average life expectancy in urban Italy under the Romans was about 26.

This doesn't seem so unreasonable - 40+ is most unlikely.Average life expectancy in Medieval Europe was 30, and even in London (the richest and most advanced city in the world then) in 1900 was only 47.I therefore find it inherently unlikely that life expectancy in ancient civilizations was comparable to that of the most advanced place in the world in 1900, especially given the medical breakthroughs of the second half of the 19th century.

Nor am I convinced it is likely that life expectancy in other ancient cultures was nearly 80% higher than that of ancient Rome.

So, no, it's not safe to say that most people's lifespan during ancient times was 40+ years.

Answer 3

Yes and no.

The average lifespan was about +40 years. But the differences between rich and poor definitely play a big role here.

Members of the Senate of Rome could not join before 30 years, had to follow the 'Cursus Honorum' to reach the top post, consul. They would be elected 'in suo annis' (the right year) at 43. They could stand for the consulship another time, but not sooner than 10 years later. Meaning, at 53. After that, they could stand for the ultimate prize: becoming censor. Few did, and those that did were not young men.



Exactly the same goes for any other ancient civilization. In short, the average life span of the poor reduced the average lifespan of everybody. In practice, lots of people did live up to a ripe old age. But they were usually rich(er).

Answer 4

To say that the average lifespan was roughly 40 years does NOT imply that there were no old people in ancient times. Quite a few people lived to a ripe old age in ancient times. What dragged down the average was the extremely high rate of infant mortality. Infants and children died from a variety of causes - birth defects, malnutrition, childhood diseases that are now preventable or treatable, accidents, etc. A family of ten children, for instance, might have only two or three children survive to adulthood. That, more than anything else, explains the relatively short average lifespan in ancient times.

Answer 5

really depended on each society. whether they were rich or poor or stuck in the middle. the type of life they were forced to live. there are tribes of native americans that can prove that in the late 1800's some of the members of their clans lived well into their 90's.



however, for example, during elizabethan times they only bathed a few times a year at most and emptied the contents of their chamber pots in the streets. there are several factors so look at the details of the society you are most interested in.