Happy Mothers Day: Mothers from Today and from Ancient Rome

On the Mother's Day let me also show how mothers were in the first century Roman world. I think they were no different from our moms today.

One complain all mothers always say is that we dont call them much and that we dont spend much time with them. Mothers in the 1st century Roman world also had similar complains.

One such letter of a mother called Hikane is found in Berenike called P. Berenike 2.129. It was a papyrus from the 50-75 AD, found among the rubbles displaying a mother's anguish. The mother was writing to her son, Isidoros that he was not writing any letter back to her. She had to remind him that she carried him for "10 months" in her womb and that she nursed him for 3 years. The major complain of this mom is that the son doesn't write back.

I wondered why she has to remind him of her motherly duties just for a letter. Is a letter more important to her that she had to remind her son that she carried him for 10 months and that she nursed him for 3 years? Yes, for a mom the letter from her child is more important than anything in the world. And she would use any thing as a persuasion in order to receive a letter.

Here is the letter:

"[Hikane] to Isidoros [her son, greetings. First of all] I thought it necessary, since the packet boat was putting out to sea, to write . . . me. I am in Berenike. I wrote you a letter [?but did not receive a] letter. Was it for this that I carried you for ten months and nursed you for three years, so that you would be incapable of remembering me by letter? And similarly you dimissed me though the Oasites . . . not I you. But I left your brothers in Arabia . . . so that . . Egypt I might see your face and . . . breath. I only ask and beg and adjure you by the one whom you . . . and by the memory of the one who begot you, to sail away if you are well. I . . . I ask and beg you . . . Save your brother. For I have no one . . . Epaphras greets you warmly . . . and those who love us. [Year . ., month] 24. (Verso) Deliver. Hikane to Isidoros her son, harborman."

She also seems to have sacrificed much to see "his face." In addition, she asks him to send letter, and (or) possibly visit ("sail away"), and to save his brother (whatever that means). She uses three verbs "I only ask and beg and adjure you," and that in the name of a god, possibly by whose grace he was born. Therefore, the mother persuades the son with much persuasion that he must do his duties (responsibilities). First of which is to write a letter to his mom; the second is to visit her possibly; and the third is to save his sibling(s). This must be the request of any mom of anytime: write, visit, and take care of her other children.

The mothers of our time are not so different after all from the mothers of 1st century Rome. So, let us write, visit and take care of our siblings to honor the wishes of our mothers. In 2017, let us watsapp, or make video call, and buy some gifts and coupons (not just for our mom but also for our siblings) to honor our moms. Happy Mothers Day everyone.