Birth registration in Ancient Rome

Birth registration in Ancient Rome

Two separate processes of birth registrations existed in Roman Egypt: one process for Roman citizens that was conducted in Latin, and another process for Greco-Egyptians that was conducted in Greek. These two processes were in legal terms, totally unrelated.

There are 21 available birth registration documents of Roman citizens. [Parkin, Tim G. Old Age in the Roman World. Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. 178. ISBN 978-0801880582] The standard pattern of the birth registrations included the date of birth. For legitimate children, the date was a profession of their birth. [Schulz, Fritz. “Roman Registers of Births and Birth Certificates. Part II.” The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 33, Parts 1 and 2. 1943. 57.] However, for illegitimate children, the date of birth was more complex and less authoritative since it was either as originally recorded or as copied from the public register. [Schulz, Fritz. 60.]

Completing birth registrations in Roman society were not compulsory. Whereas penalties for failure to register in the census existed, no known penalties existed in regard to birth registrations. In terms of Roman law, individuals who did not register their birth were neither penalized nor disadvantaged: there are imperial rescripts (a written answer of a Roman emperor to a query or petition in writing) that state that the failure to register children should not deprive them or their right to legitimacy, and there are recorded statements of Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian that inform an individual that “It is a well-established rule of law that though a declaration of birth has been lost, your status is not adversely affected.”

Birth registrations could be used as proof of age; however, from historical evidence, it is clear that they were not regarded as sufficient proof in themselves. Oral and written evidence could be used as proof of age. For instance, Emperor Hadrian stated in a rescript that when the age of an individual was at issue, all proofs of age should be furnished and a decision reached based on the most credible evidence. [Dig. 22.3.13 (Ulpian). ] In another case, the Roman jurist Modestinus concluded that in order to prove one’s age for exemption of certain responsibilities, “age is proved either by notices of birth or by other customary (lawful) evidence.” [Cod. Iust. 2.44.2.pr.-1 (=Cod. Theod. 2.17.1.pr.-1, A.D. 321)] Thus, Roman jurists negligibly utilized birth registrations due to their lack of permanent legal value. Instead, the prominent legal practice of Classical Roman jurists was "responsa prudentium" [Schulz, Fritz. 63. ] , or “answers of the learned ones.” "Responsa prudentium" was the body of legal opinion that gradually became authoritative from the accumulation of views of many successive generations of Roman lawyers. This resulted in the classical principle of the freedom of the judge to evaluate the legitimacy of the evidence. [Schulz, Fritz. “Principles of Roman Law.” 1936. 28. ] Birth registrations did not serve an essential or conclusive purpose in Roman society.

There are 34 available birth registration documents of Greco-Egyptian citizens that span some 270 years. [Parkin, Tim G.. 175.] With the initiative of the father or another close relative, standard birth registrations included the name and current age of the individual concerned and was addressed to an official.

Greco-Egyptian birth registrations were not compulsory and were more of a certification of status than proof of birth. The census eliminated the need of birth registrations because the information gathered from birth registrations merely supplemented the information from the census. [Parkin, Tim G.. 182.] Age was particularly important for determining who was liable to pay the poll tax at the age of 14 years. Birth registrations could provide the age of the individual; however, the census was held every 14 years to ensure that no one escaped the tax and also provided this information. [Casarico, L. Il controllo della poplazione nell’Egitto romano. 1. Le denunce di morte. Azzaate. 1985] The census was more efficient and thorough than the system of birth registrations in Greco-Egyptian society, and government officials relied on the information from the census far more than birth registrations.

ee also

*Birth certificate
*Ancient_Rome

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • List of topics related to ancient Rome — This is a list of topics related to ancient Rome that aims to include aspects of both the ancient Roman Republic and Roman Empire.*For an overview of the subject, see Ancient Rome.*For other articles not listed below, see and its… …   Wikipedia

  • Birth certificate — Mary Elizabeth Winblad (1895 1987) birth certificate A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term birth certificate can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a …   Wikipedia

  • china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material …   Universalium

  • China — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. People s Republic of, a country in E Asia. 1,221,591,778; 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Cap.: Beijing. 2. Republic of. Also called Nationalist China. a republic consisting mainly of the island of Taiwan off the SE coast …   Universalium

  • Arabian horse — Infobox Horse name= Arabian horse status = DOM image caption= An Arabian Mare altname= Arabian, Arab country= Developed in the Middle East, most notably Arabian peninsula group1= Arabian Horse Association (AHA) (United States) group2=The Arabian… …   Wikipedia

  • Italy — /it l ee/, n. a republic in S Europe, comprising a peninsula S of the Alps, and Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, and other smaller islands: a kingdom 1870 1946. 57,534,088; 116,294 sq. mi. (301,200 sq. km). Cap.: Rome. Italian, Italia. * * * Italy… …   Universalium

  • United Kingdom — a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801 1922. 58,610,182; 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). Cap.: London. Abbr.: U.K. Official name, United Kingdom of Great… …   Universalium

  • education — /ej oo kay sheuhn/, n. 1. the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. 2. the act or process of… …   Universalium

  • Chronology of Jesus — See also: Gospel harmony, Historical Jesus, and Historicity of Jesus Medieval Russian icon depicting the life of Jesus. The Chronology of Jesus aims to establish a historical order for some of the events of the life of Jesus in the four… …   Wikipedia

  • genealogy — genealogical /jee nee euh loj i keuhl, jen ee /, genealogic, adj. genealogically, adv. genealogist, n. /jee nee ol euh jee, al , jen ee /, n., pl. genealogies. 1. a record or account of the ancestry and descent of a person, family, group, etc. 2 …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”