Life expectancy in HG societies

From: Damien Broderick (damienb@unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Fri May 23 2003 - 21:34:28 MDT

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    At 09:28 AM 5/23/03 -0700, mez wrote:

    >Life expectancy in HG societies is believed
    >to have been around 18 years. In ancient Rome it had gone up to
    >around 30 years.

    I think this is badly misleading, that what this fact (or factoid) claims
    is only that mean life expectancy *at birth* is X years. A large proportion
    of babies died prior to very recent medical care. Many children perished in
    infancy. Those HGs who survived through adolescence might well have been
    likely to live to 40 or 50 at least. Have a look at the 19th century photos
    of Australian aborigines. Plenty of lithe, healthy, naked, cicatrized
    middle-aged folks (often in chains). I don't think they just *looked*
    grizzled, although it's possible.

    Damien Broderick



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