08-23-2006, 12:34 AM
I am terribly afraid that you would not be alive anymore if you were a Roman. The average life expectancy at birth was less than twenty years. About a third of the Roman babies died before they could finish their first year. Of the remainder, 50% died before they were ten. So that leaves a chance of about 33% that you would have reached the age of 10. After that, a Roman had a fair chance of survival and life expectancy at the age of ten was about forty years.
The Atlas mountains may indeed closely approach ancient circumstances, but as far as life expectancy is concerned, I am afraid that Sierra Leone comes closest to ancient reality.
Also consider this: lack of vitamins C causes scurvy, lack of vitamin E causes rachitis, and lack of carotene causes near blindness.
The Atlas mountains may indeed closely approach ancient circumstances, but as far as life expectancy is concerned, I am afraid that Sierra Leone comes closest to ancient reality.
Also consider this: lack of vitamins C causes scurvy, lack of vitamin E causes rachitis, and lack of carotene causes near blindness.
