‘If it is a boy, let it live; if it is a girl, expose it.’

"Hilarion to his dearest Alis, heartiest greetings..." This opening line comes from P.Oxy. IV 744, a famous private letter written on papyrus in Roman Egypt. Dated to June 17, 1 BCE, it was sent by a soldier named Hilarion to his wife (or sister) Alis while he was away in Alexandria.

The letter was written in Alexandria on Pauni 23 of the 29th year of Caesar (Augustus), corresponding to 1 BCE. The text is known for its grim historical instructions regarding Alis's expected pregnancy: if she gives birth to a boy, to keep it, but if it is a girl, to discard or expose it. "I beg and beseech of you to take care of the little child, and as soon as we receive wages I will send them to you. If - good luck to you! - you bear a child, if it is a male, let it live; if it is a female, expose it. You told [our friend] Aphrodisias to tell me, 'Do not forget me. How can I forget you? I beg you therefore not to worry.’ Newborn infanticide and child exposure (expositio) were legal practices in ancient Rome. Expositio was where parents abandoned newborn infants outdoors to die or to be rescued and raised by others as slaves or foundlings. Baby girls were targeted more often than boys due to the financial burden of providing a marriage dowry. The practice legally ended when Christian emperors banned it in the 4th century CE.