5. The ceremony of amphidromia marked a change in the status of an infant
In Athens, a feast was held 5-7 days following the birth of a child, at which time the infant was bestowed its name. Wealthier families held the ceremony on the tenth day following birth. The infant was presented to its family and the event celebrated its welcome. The home was adorned with olive branches for a male child, while females were signified with decorations of wool. The timing was based on the belief that children who were born sickly would die before a week or so passed. Once the event was completed the child obtained the protections offered by the state. The protections were in accordance with the class status of the family.
The child’s name was bestowed by its father. Before that transpired the father could, without fear of legal retribution, abandon the infant by placing it outside the home. Most Greek city-states had specific locations where the child was to be abandoned. Thus, unwanted children could be simply disposed of, a legal form of infanticide. Once the child was abandoned, regardless of the reasons for the parent rejecting it, it was doomed to either death or, if lucky, adoption. Most died. Abandoned infants were a common theme in ancient literature, and included Oedipus, Romulus and Remus, and Moses.