Did people in the ancient world kill infants simply because they were girls? That is the question that presenters Lily Logiodice, Sarah Drape and Sam Bonczyk, sought to answer in their University Day Presentation. They first explained what infanticide is. Then theybwent on to explore the evidence for and against sexist infanticide in the ancient world.
Infanticide is the killing of infants, usually done systematically, and in the majority of cases, done to female children. The presenters gave compelling evidence for this. One piece of evidence was the discovery of ancient baby graves. Of the up to 100 sets of bones found in these locations, nearly all were discovered to have been healthy at the time of their death. When it was possible to tell, the remains were predominantly female.
One speculated reason for this is dowries. In many ancient cultures, marrying a young woman came with a dowry. A dowry was often a sum of money, but could also come in the form of livestock, land or other precious items. Because of this, daughters were costly, while sons were moneymakers.
The presentation was well done. The slides were crisp and to the point with occasional illustrations to highlight the topic. The presenters spoke clearly and at a good pace. UMPI freshman Emily Legeyt said, “They did a good job. I liked it.” UMPI senior Darbie Koch said, “It wasn’t what I expected.”
When two of the presenters were asked why they chose this topic, they gave multiple responses. The one they seemed to agree on the most was that it was a different and controversial topic. They also responded with interest in the topic and to highlight a male-based society.
