Daily Life In Ancient Rome

1. Section 2

1.1. Nearly 1 million people lived in the city of Rome in 1st century C.E. Rome was a beautiful city and presented itself very well with gardens and temples and beautiful scenery. The cities forum was where most everything happened. People and goods flowed into Rome from the four corners of the city. Rich spent great deals of money on things. But the wealthy were only a small part of the population though. Most of the city’s people lived in dirty neighborhoods filled with crime and sickness. The children were lucky to live past 10. But to keep everyone happy, Roman emperors gave away food and entertainment, such as gladiator contests and chariot races. The empire had many large cities, but people mainly lived in the countryside which was also very poor. Some people worked their own farms. Others did work on huge estates that were owned by the rich.

2. Section 7

2.1. Like food, housing was very different in Rome for the rich and for the poor. Wealthy Romans lived in grand houses, built of stone and marble. Thick walls shut out the noise and dirt of the city. Inside the front door was a hall called an atrium where the family received guests. Beyond the atrium, there were many rooms for the family and guests. Not to far away were the dark and tall apartments of the poor. Others lived in small apartments above the shops where they worked. The apartments were cramped, noisy, and dirty. Filth and disease-carrying rats caused sickness to spread rapidly. Not only that, but the apartments were made of wood so it caused a danger of fire.

3. Section 8

3.1. If you had grown up in ancient Rome, your education would have depended on the type of family you were born into. Many poor children in Rome were sent to work instead of to school. But in wealthier families, boys and girls were tutored by their fathers, or by slaves, until they were about six years old. Roman boys learned Latin, Greek, math, science, literature, music, and public speaking. They typically became soldiers, doctors, politicians, or lawyers. Girls might become dentists, real estate agents, or tutors. Some female slaves or freed women could become midwives which was a sort of nurse. A typical school day in Rome began very early in the morning. Then it went on until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

4. Section9

4.1. There were many forms of recreation in Rome. The rich enjoyed plays in theaters and musical performances in one another’s homes. Both rich and poor often relaxed at Rome’s public baths. There they could bathe, swim, exercise, and enjoy a steam bath or a massage. The baths also had gardens, libraries, shops, and art galleries. Romans also watched gladiators fight in public arenas, like the Colosseum. Both men and women were gladiators who were usually slaves or prisoners at war.

5. Section 10

5.1. Rome was one of many cities scattered throughout the Roman Empire. But 90 percent of the empire’s people lived in the country. There, too, rich and poor had very different lives. Wealthy Romans often owned country estates with large homes, called villas. A villa was a place for Romans to invest their money in raising crops and livestock. Slaves did much of the actual work of farming. Overseers, or supervisors, kept a close eye on the slaves and often treated them cruelly.Others that were not wealthy, but not slaves lived in huts and worked their own small farms, trying to earn enough to survive. Or, they labored on the estates, tending the animals, helping with the crops, or working as servants.

6. Section 5

6.1. Family life in Rome was ruled by the paterfamilias. Roman men were expected to provide for the family. In rich family's men usually worked, but in poor both husband and wives worked. Wealthy women ran the household. They bought and trained slaves, often had money of their own, made business deals, and bought and sold property. Roman babies were often born in the home and they only kept healthy babies. If the father didn't approve then they were left outside to die or become slaves. Between the ages of 14 and 18, a Roman boy celebrated becoming a man. In a special ceremony, he offered his bulla, along with his childhood toys and clothes, to the gods. Weddings were held at a temple. The bride wore a white toga with a long veil. The groom also wore a white toga, along with leather shoes that he had shined with animal fat. But the new husband did not become a paterfamilias until his own father died.

7. Section 3

7.1. The Romans always believed in the rule of law. The ultimate source of law was the emperor. In the empire Romans still honored some of their old traditions. For example the Senate continued to meet. Roman laws were strict, but that was because crime was common in Rome. Romans tried to protect themselves against crime. Rich men would try to hide their wealth by wearing old, dirty togas when they traveled at night. Women and children that were rich were not supposed to ever go outdoors alone, even during the day. Anyone could cause someone of anything. The jury was who decided who was in the wrong and usually people tried to make the jury sympathies for them. Poor people were often not citizens, so they usually faced harsher punishments than the rich, and sometimes even torture.

8. Section 4

8.1. Religion was important to the Romans. They worshiped many gods, and they believed that the gods controlled their daily lives. To pay tribute to these gods they had many temples and shrines, and people made offerings and promises to the gods. In these offerings they gave food and often sacrificed animals. When someone was sick or injured, Romans would leave offerings to the gods to tell them which body part needed cured. Festivals and holidays were held yearly for the Romans. Religion was a key part of daily life. Each home had an altar where the family worshiped its own household gods and spirits. This was very important to the goddess Vesta because after the meal they made offerings to her in the fireplace. Eventually the Romans came to honor their emperors as gods. As the empire grew, foreigners brought in new forms of worship to Rome. The Romans welcomed most of these new religions, just as long as they didn't encourage disloyalty to the emperor.

9. Section 6

9.1. What Romans cooked and ate depended on whether they were rich or poor. Only the rich had kitchens in their homes. The poor cooked on small grills and depended on fast-food places called thermopolia. But the rich often bought their daytime meals at thermopolia because the service was fast and convenient. The main foods in ancient Rome were bread, beans, spices, a few vegetables, cheeses, and meats. Favorite drinks included plain water and hot water with herbs and honey. For breakfast, Romans usually ate a piece of bread and a bowl of beans or porridge. Lunch might include a small bit of cheese and bread, and perhaps some olives or celery. For dinner, poor Romans might have chunks of fish along with some asparagus and a fig for dessert. Wealthy Romans ate more elaborate dinners. Wealthy Roman women or their slaves shopped for the perfect foods for fancy dinner parties.