20. Augustus Ordered the Death of His Infant Grandchild
A Roman patriarch’s power of life and death over his family members was particularly evident when it came to his authority over the women of the family. Although the ancient Romans had a reputation for licentiousness and debauchery and wild orgies, they managed to indulge in such carnal excesses with abandon, even as they viewed adultery as a serious matter. Not just on moral grounds, but also because adultery introduced the possibility of illegitimate heirs to a Roman male’s estate. When Augustus became emperor, he sought to restore traditional values by enacting morality laws aimed at combating adultery – defined as a woman having sex with a man who was not her husband. However, males having sex with female slaves and prostitutes did not count.
One of Augustus’ morality laws, enacted in 18 BC, codified a father’s traditional rights if he caught somebody engaged in adultery with his daughter. The father could legally kill the lover, as well as his daughter, whether in his own house or in the house of his son-in-law. Ironically, his own daughter, Julia the Elder, ran afoul of those anti-adultery laws. Augustus did not kill her, but to save face, he had her exiled in 2 BC, first to a small island, then to a tiny village in the toe of Italy. She remained in exile for the rest of her life. In 8 AD, Augustus’ granddaughter, Julia the Younger, also got caught up in an adultery scandal with a Roman Senator. He had her exiled to a remote island, where she gave birth to a love child. Augustus ordered the infant, his grandchild, exposed.