Selective Female Infanticide in Miletus

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the list of names found in the Delphinion, or Apollo's sanctuary, in Miletus served as a record of citizenships granted to immigrants between 228-49 B.C. These immigrants often were mercenaries that came to Miletus to serve, thereby gaining citizenship in this prosperous town. It argues that by viewing the disproportionate records of males to females, it is apparent that female infanticide was a common practice.

From the Paper:

"The significantly disproportionate ratio of sons to daughters evident in the family groups recorded on the Miletian citizenship tablets reveals that female infanticide was widely practiced throughout the Hellenistic time period. Because so little is known about familial life during this age, and since this is "the largest single body of statistics available" about Hellenistic demography, this record may spawn differing interpretations about the disproportion; namely, a father's not including his daughters or the absence of daughters due to marriage at the time the records were created. However, what is known about these migrating families and the assumptions that can be made about them prove these explanations to be unlikely. Rather, the data seems to vindicate the selective termination of female infants."

More papers on Selective Female Infanticide in Miletus:

• Research Paper # 30249 : "Female Infanticide"
• Essay # 90326 : "The Female Character in Fairy Tales"
• Article Review # 87381 : "Female Mortality in Early Germany"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: