“But think of the many endless ills old age is full of!”, writes the early second-century Roman satirist Juvenal. In his usual style, he cruelly remarks, “Take a look, first if all at its (old age’s) ugly face — repulsive/ And wholly altered, with an ugly hide in place of/ Smooth skin, the drooping jowls, the wrinkles . . .” He goes on to skewer the lack of sexual prowess, the inability to hear, the dulling of senses, and the susceptibility to illness that old age brings, and finishes off with a list of old men from Ancient history who would have been better off dying younger.
This sentiment gets at an overall negative way that aging men were perceived during the Ancient Roman Republic, and it comes from the way Romans thought about the “ideal man.” Of course, this would be no slave, but a rich man — like the Patrician you see in this first-century statue shown here. These men gained status from their power, having agency like no others in the Roman world. But many had outlived their usefulness, according to the embittered younger generation. While aged leaders of the Roman families clung onto power, the 40-something male inheritors were left out and unable to come into their own. The resentment many younger sons felt generated a pushback that came out as mockery, such as the kind Juvenal expressed.
There is a similar resentment in the United States felt by many younger people facing climate change and financial insecurity that is directed against older politicians today.
Sources: This post comes straight out of a fantastic research project done by my student Cole Pearson @colepearson_ ! Juvenal, Satire X, “The Penalties of a Long Life” lines 188-288. Statue “Head of a Roman Patrician” first c CE from a 80-70 BCE copy as featured in “Ancient Roman Art:Head of a Roman Patrician” at exploring art.co with Alessandro
