[Arthalion]

Just about all ancient peoples practiced infanticide.

Yep. The early Romans believed that babies didn't receive a soul until they were nearly a year old (a child attempting to speak was a sign that his soul had entered his body). A body without a soul was no different than an animal, and killing them was widely considered no more evil than slaughtering a cow.

Interestingly, even the ancient Romans considered animal torture to be sick. People who tortured cats and dogs for fun back then were widely regarded to be as odd and depraved as we regard them today. The need to kill animals was understood, but mindlessly making them suffer was disapproved of (except for public displays and formal entertainment, which were an odd exception to that morality). They generally extended this same perspective to newborn babies. While it was acceptable to put them to death, parents were expected to do it mercifully and painlessly. Exposure was one method common to the poorer people. If you had money, it was more common to give the child an overdose of opium and allow them to expire quietly in their home.

I've said it before...there is a good reason why the Romans chose to abandon their pagan ways and accept Christianity. The old Roman religion gave little value to the individual, while Christianity taught that we all have value...even newborns.

[Sherman Logan]

In traditional Roman law the paterfamilias had power of life and death not only over the newborns up to a year old, but of older children, the slaves, his wife and even grown sons and their wives and children.

You could have a 60 year old man who himself had great-grandsons, and his 80 year old Dad still had complete control of his life. (In theory, anyway.)