Summary
In this episode, I talk with historian Lisa Brunet, whose work explores the hidden world of grandparents in ancient Rome. Together, we unpack what grandparenting looked like 2,000 years ago—how elders shaped family identity, cared for young children, preserved memory through storytelling, and passed on family and cultural traditions.
While grandmothers often stepped into hands-on roles, grandfathers frequently became the family’s historians and memory keepers—sometimes proudly seeing themselves in a toddler learning to speak or scribble. Lisa explains how Roman law, marriage customs, early Christianity, and even mobility during empire expansion shaped what grandparenting meant—and how echoes of those patterns still exist today.
This conversation bridges centuries to ask one simple question:
What can modern grandparents learn from ancient ones?
Lisa also shares updates on her upcoming two books, in which her research will continue to open windows into the emotional lives of ancient families.
Takeaways
Historically, people became grandparents at a younger age.
Currently, individuals are older when they become grandparents.
Grandfathers now spend almost 20 years with their grandchildren.
The role of grandparents has evolved.
The societal perception of aging is changing.
Grandparents’ ages influence family dynamics.
Their grandparents’ age shapes grandchildren’s experience.
Understanding these shifts can inform social policies.
Links:
- If you would like to watch this conversation, you can go to YouTube and watch Lisa and me having some fun: https://youtu.be/az6c8UIIVyg
- Lisa’s full thesis on Roman grandparents: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/grandparents-in-the-roman-empire-the-evidence-of-the-latin-west/
- Follow Lisa’s work and publications on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabrunet/
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