ABSTRACT
Mortality rates in Rome and its empire were high. Poor sanitation, disease, epidemics, famine, malnutrition and warfare would have taken their toll (Parkin 1992: 93; Chapter 1). Death was ever present. Even if an individual was strong and healthy, those around, especially the young and the old, were vulnerable. Death, which removed parents, spouses, siblings, children and friends, must have constantly redefined people’s lives. We can note, for example, that Ausonius (4th c. AD) dedicated a series of poems (Parentalia) to his dead relatives who included his grandparents, parents, uncle, aunt, brother, two sisters, wife, son and grandson. How did people cope with the frailty of life and their own impending death? And how did they prepare practically for their ultimate demise?
