Historical life expectancy

It is commonly thought that people in pre-modern periods could on average expect to die in their 30s. This is a misconception. While it is true that life expectancy was around around 30 back then, it doesn't mean that it was common for people to actually die at this age.
For example in classical GreeceMorris, Ian (2004). "Economic Growth in Ancient Greece". Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics. 160 (4): 709–742. doi:10.1628/0932456042776050. JSTOR 40752487. life expectancy is estimated to be between 25 and 28Mogens Herman Hansen, The Shotgun Method, p. 55."Mortality". Britannica.com. Retrieved November 4, 2010., but this is caused by high childhood mortality, about half of all children died before adolescence. If a person survived until 15, they could expect to live until 37-41 yearsJ. Lawrence Angel (May 1969). "The bases of paleodemography". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 30 (3): 427–437. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330300314. PMID 5791021.. Those who survived to the age of 30 had a reasonable chance of reaching 50 or 60. 
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