You may not know how absurd and terrible the ancient institution of marriage was. There are not only arranged marriages by parents, but also the phenomenon of consanguineous marriages. You heard it right, it is the marriage of close relatives, such as a cousin marrying a cousin, a cousin marrying a cousin, and even a cousin can marry each other.
This is simply an incredible thing in the eyes of modern people, because we all know that consanguineous marriage can lead to genetic mutations and give birth to deformed or mentally retarded children, which is a great harm to the family and society.
So, why did the ancients do this?Don't they know the dangers of consanguineous marriage?And why are there so few records of deformed children in ancient times?The reason is actually very simple, let me uncover this historical mystery for you!
1. Why was it popular to marry close relatives in ancient times?
You may think, are the ancient people crazy, how can there be such a ridiculous marriage system?In fact, ancient people were not without reason, they had their own thoughts and goals, but they were different from modern people's values. Let's take a look at why it was popular for inbred marriage in ancient times!
In order to maintain the purity of the family lineage. Ancient people attached great importance to the honor and status of the family, and they believed that only people with the same surname were their relatives and could jointly safeguard the interests of the family. Therefore, they are reluctant to marry people with foreign surnames, but choose to marry their relatives, such as cousins, cousins, and even uncles, nephews, aunts, and so on.
They believe that this will keep the family bloodline pure and avoid foreign blood from contaminating their bloodline. This was especially evident among the ancient royal family and aristocracy, who, in order to maintain their power and wealth, often married their close relatives, even siblings, such as Cleopatra in Egypt, who married her younger brother.
In order to strengthen the alliance between the families. Ancient society was a feudal hierarchical society, and people's status and power were determined by the family. Therefore, in order to enhance their own power, ancient people often married with other families to achieve the purpose of supporting each other and benefiting each other.
And this kind of marriage is often achieved through the marriage of close relatives, such as a cousin marrying a cousin, a cousin marrying a cousin, and so on. This can make the relationship between the two families closer, and can also avoid conflicts and disputes in marriage.
This practice had a great effect on politics and military in ancient times, for example, Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty was supported by Xiao He by marrying Xiao He's cousin, and finally established the Han Dynasty.
In order to conform to folk customs and Xi. Most of the marriages of ancient people were arranged by their parents, and there were few opportunities for free love. Moreover, most of the women in ancient times did not go out of the door, and they could not step out of the door, and it was difficult for them to contact the men outside, so they could only find objects in their own families and relatives.
And the ancient people also liked the feeling of kissing and kissing, they believed that marriage between cousins was a beautiful thing, which could enhance family affection and also avoid discord after marriage.
Therefore, there was a popular custom among the people in ancient times, that is, cousins marrying cousins, cousins marrying cousins, and even marriages between cousins and sisters. This custom is also reflected in ancient literature and art, such as Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu in "Dream of Red Mansions", and Xue Baochai is a love story between cousins and sisters.
2. Why do close relatives marry and give birth to deformed children?
Although ancient people had their own reasons, the harm of consanguineous marriage was inevitable. We all know that marriage between close relatives can lead to genetic mutations and give birth to deformed or mentally retarded children, which is scientific common sense and proof of facts. So why does consanguineous marriage lead to this outcome?The reason is actually quite simple, let me explain it to you!
Due to duplications and deletions of genes. We all know that the human body is made up of cells, and there is a substance called DNA in the nucleus of the cell, which is the genetic material of human beings, which determines the characteristics of human gender, blood type, eye color, height, weight and so on.
DNA is composed of two long strands, each strand has many genes, and genes are the smallest unit of inheritance, and each gene has a specific function, such as controlling eye color, hair color, and so on. And each person has two sets of genes, one from the father and one from the mother, and these two sets of genes will be recombined in the fertilized egg to form a new individual.
In this process, sometimes there will be some mistakes, such as duplication or deletion of genes, resulting in dysfunction of some genes, or the function of some genes is too strong, which will cause some genetic diseases or malformations. And if it is a marriage of close relatives, then parents.
Then the genes of the parents will be very similar, or even identical, which increases the probability of gene duplication or deletion, which leads to more genetic diseases or malformations.
For example, there is a disease called congenital stupidity, which is due to the lack of genes, resulting in poor brain development, low intelligence, ugly appearance, and short lifespan.
This disease is more common in families with consanguineous marriages, such as the Habsburg dynasty in Europe, because of long-term consanguineous marriages, which led to the inheritance of this disease, and finally led to the decline and demise of the dynasty.
Due to the difference in recessive and dominant genes. We all know that everyone's genes are made up of two sets, one from the father and one from the mother. And in each set of genes, some genes are dominant and some genes are recessive.
Dominant genes are genes that can manifest, such as black hair, black eyes, and so on. Recessive genes are genes that cannot be expressed, such as blue eyes, blonde hair, etc. And a person's characteristics are determined by both dominant and recessive genes.
Generally speaking, dominant genes suppress the expression of recessive genes, for example, if a person's father has black hair and his mother has blonde hair, then this person is likely to have black hair, because the black gene is dominant and the golden gene is recessive.
However, if it is a consanguineous marriage, then the genes of the parents will be very similar, or even identical, which will lead to an increase in recessive genes, which will lead to the appearance of some recessive genetic diseases or malformations.
For example, there is a disease called hemophilia, which is due to the recessive nature of genes, which leads to a lack of blood clotting function, and once injured, it will bleed non-stop, even life-threatening. This disease is more common in families that are consanguineously married, such as Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who married her cousin, which led to the inheritance of this disease, and finally led to many hemophilia patients in her offspring.
3. Why are there so few records of deformed children in ancient times?
Although consanguineous marriage can lead to genetic mutations and the birth of deformed or mentally retarded children, there are few such records in ancient timesThe reason is actually very simple, let me uncover the secret of this history for you!
Due to the backwardness of the level of medicine and scientific understanding in ancient times. Ancient people were very lacking in the knowledge of genetics and genetics, they did not know the dangers of consanguineous marriage, nor did they know the duplication and deletion of genes, the difference between recessive and dominant, and the causes of genetic diseases and malformations.
They only marry inbred according to their own traditions and Xi, and they do not pay special attention to and record the deformed or mentally retarded children they give birth, but only think that it is providence or fate, or God's punishment or gift.
They also have no effective ** method, they can only let it be, or take some cruel measures, such as abandonment, killing, or concealment. Therefore, there are very few records of deformed or mentally retarded children in ancient times, which does not mean that they do not exist, but are simply ignored or covered up.
Due to the poor social environment and living conditions in ancient times. The life of ancient people was very hard and difficult, they often faced the threat of war, disasters, famine, plague and so on, and their survival and development were very unstable and insecure.
Therefore, the mortality rate of ancient people was very high, and their average life expectancy was also very low, and many people did not live to be 40 years old.
For children born with deformities or intellectual disabilities, their ability to survive is even lower, and it is difficult for them to survive in such an environment, and many will die soon after birth, or die while growing up.
Therefore, there are very few records of deformed or mentally retarded children in ancient times, which does not mean that they did not exist, but were eliminated or died out.
4. The harms and consequences of consanguineous marriages.
Through the above analysis, we can see that consanguineous marriage is a very wrong and terrible marriage system, which can lead to genetic mutations and give birth to deformed or mentally retarded children, which is a great harm to the family and society. So, what are the harms and consequences of consanguineous marriage?Let me summarize it for you!
Harm to the individual. Marriage between close relatives can have a serious impact on the physical and mental health of individuals, and they will face a variety of genetic diseases and malformations, such as hemophilia, congenital stupidity, congenital heart disease, Down syndrome, albinism, congenital deafness, congenital blindness, etc.
These diseases and deformities can affect not only their physical appearance and intelligence, but also their lives and work, and even endanger their lives. They will suffer endless pain and suffering, and it will also bring a heavy burden and pressure to their families and society.
Danger to the family. Marriage between close relatives will lead to the degradation and decay of the family's bloodline and genes, and they will lose their original advantages and characteristics, as well as their original honor and status. They will face the ** and disintegration of the family, and even the demise and extinction of the family.