Roman Life
Readings
Overview
In this reading, you will be examining the life of those who lived in the Empire of Rome. The empire was massive, with 6,000 miles of borders. The Romans controlled from Scotland in the North, to Iran in the East, and the whole northern coast of Africa to the south. This created a racially mixed society, unlike any that had been seen before. There were the fair skinned blondes from Northern Europe, the olive skinned dark haired peoples from Asia, and the dark skinned people from Africa. Yet, for all their differences, there was only one official language: Latin. There was only one official law: Roman Law.
In this massive empire, there were many major cities. All of these cities were connected by paved roads. There was over 5,000 miles of paved roads (that is 1 1/2 times the width of the USA). These roads were protected by the Roman Legions. This allowed people to quickly and safely travel and trade; sharing money, products, and ideas. All of these roads led to one place, the eternal city of Rome. Rome was literally and metaphorically at the heart of the empire. It was the center of both power and culture. It was the most populated city on the planet, with nearly 1.2 million people living there. The list of buildings in the city of Rome was equally as impressive:
- 40 Triumphal Arches - 25 statues of horses - 12 Forums (markets) - 15 Egyptian Obelisks
- 28 Libraries - 11 Aqueducts, 1352 street fountains - 12 Basilicas - 11 Large and 1000 small Bath Houses - 2 artificial lakes to simulate naval battles - 100 Temples
- 4 Theaters for Plays (each seating 25,000 people)
- 2 Stadiums for Chariot Races (each holding close to 400,000 people) - 2 Amphitheaters for Gladiator Games (each seating 50,000 people) - 1 Track & Field Stadium (seating 30,000 people)
- 3500 bronze statues of men - 160 gold/ivory statues of gods - And much more...
The city of Rome suffered from the same problems that plague the major cities of our day: traffic, time it takes to get to work, noise, litter/dirt, housing shortage, cost of housing, unsafe buildings, uncontrolled immigration, and unsafe streets after dark.
Needless to say, it was an impressive city, unlike any the world had ever seen before. You will now be taken into the daily life of the people in the city of Rome. You will examine
different aspects of Roman Life, to get a taste of how people lived.
Patrician Housing
A Patrician’s house is called a domus. From the outside, they would look more like a fortress then a house. There was an outer wall with a few small windows, and a door. Walking through the door, there is a mosaic on the floor that says Cave Canem, meaning “Beware of Dog.” Guests would be greeted by the guard-slave and the dog in charge of protecting the entrance to the domus. Once you are past the guards, guests would enter the main room called the Atrium. There is a large hole in the ceiling to let in light and rain, which gets collected in a large basin in the middle. Around the atrium are
Leaving the atrium, there would be a large office, called the Tabinium. This is where the man of the house, called the Dominus, would meet with clients and run his business. Attached to the office is the doorway to the rest of the house. In the rest of the house, there would be a second peaceful garden area, called a Peristyle, a large kitchen, and a dining room for holding banquets with honored guests. There was also a small temple room to honor the local spirits who would watch over the house. Overall, it would be a rich, artistic, colorful building with slaves hustling about, tending to their Dominus’s needs. In all of Rome, there were 1,797 Domuses. Not many, considered the 1.2 million people who lived in the city.
Plebeian Housing
In Rome, the home was the place to sleep and maybe eat a meal. The rest of your needs (food, bathroom/shower, work,
entertainment) were provided in different areas of the city. Housing for the Plebeians was much different then the Domus of the
Patricians. The common people of Rome lived in apartment complexes called an Insula. There were 46,602 Insulas in Rome. Each building was 6-7 stories tall. The bottom floor was the space for small businesses to sell their goods and services. The second floor was for the wealthier Plebeians, who worked for the
government or had a somewhat successful business. There were around 26 nicer apartments on the second floor of the Insula. Modern day apartments borrow from the same layout as these nicer apartments. A person enters the apartment, to be met by a small room or hallway. To the right side is the dining room, to the left a sitting room. At the far end of the hallway are the doors to the
bedrooms. Each room has windows that look to the outside of the building, with arched windows. There is a balcony you can walk on, to plant a small garden or flowers. The walls are very colorful, with small statues and house plants as decorations. However, there would be very little furniture, except for a table and chairs for dining, a bed to sleep, and a place to store clothes. Here you would also find a few slaves, tending to the cleaning and cooking.
The further up the Insula you go, the more poor the owner. This is because the buildings were often poorly built, especially on the upper levels. Plus, there was no running water inside the Insula, so it was harder to get water brought up the stairs. These apartments are each one large room, with thin walls and thin doors. There is little to no privacy. Each room has their small, bronze cooking stove that was used for both heat and cooking. Unfortunately, these would cause frequent building fires. These rooms would be divided into sections by
curtains, with each curtain space rented out to a person or family. There would be windows, but no glass to keep the rain or cold out.
The walls would be painted brown. Because there was no running water, the walls would be covered with graffiti along with years of dust, dirt and other filth from never having been washed. The floor would be covered with food scraps and grime from who-knows-what. The bugs and the smell, on top of all the noise, would be awful. These spaces would house the “muscle” of Rome; the workers who did the low paying jobs that kept the city functioning.
Streets of Rome
streets were always crowded during the day. There was a wide mixture of people from all over the empire. In the downtown/urban areas, there were the wider, paved streets with sidewalks. There would be massive marble buildings, wide market places, and restaurants. Along the shop lined streets, you would find people selling food, trinkets, clothing, jewelry, metal workers, and much more. Some would have their own building space, others would have a cart. As you moved further away from the center of the city, the streets became winding dark paths in between the close buildings. Here you would find beggars, dead bodies, and pools where people had relieved themselves.
Male Fashion
So, what would it take to be “in style” in Rome? For men, it all starts with the classic garment called a Tunic. Think of a tunic like a long t-shirt that goes down to your knees. It would be made out of either linen or wool. A belt would be worn around the waist to keep it together. The tunic was good for all occasions, from serving as a nightgown to being worn to a formal event (if you were a Plebeian). The Patricians had tunics dyed in any of a wide variety of bright, vibrant colors. Plebeians typically had a light or dark brown tunic. There were no pants in Rome, unless you were in the army. Pants were an invention of the Celtic and German Barbarians, and could also have been found out East in Iran/Persia. They were considered uncivilized and would not be worn by a Roman citizen.
The most important garment in Rome was the Toga. This was the “suit and tie” of the day. A Patrician would never leave home without his toga. A Toga was a 6 foot piece of fabric, that was then wrapped over the tunic in a certain fashion. Different colors would have different meanings.
For example, a boy under 16 years of age would wear a white toga, with a purple fringe on the edges. The most important ceremony in his life would be at 16, where he would be given his first “citizen” toga. Only a Roman citizen of status was allowed to wear a toga, by law.
As for footwear, it was common to have a sort of boot of sandal on your feet. Soldiers had sandals with metal cleats on them for traction. Patricians would be found wearing soft leather moccasins. No matter your class, no shoes would be allowed in the house.
For most men, they would have a short hair cut and clean shaven face. These trends would change to match whatever the Caesars and their sons were fashioning. Balding men would wear a wig or toupee to cover their receding hair line. There were even “special formulas” to make hair grow... but none of them really worked. Men whose hair was graying would try to die it black or brown with the products of the day. Looking like a young, vibrant man was a big deal.
Female Fashion
Women in Rome also had their own version of the tunic, only theirs would go down to their feet. The belt they would wear would go around the lower part of their ribcage, to help show off their feminine form. They would wear a very long shall called a Palla, that would wrap around their shoulders and head, and still go past their waist. These would be made out of lenin or wool, with the more color the better. The VERY rich would have clothes made from silk, which was very expensive and came from China. All outfits would be fitted with Jewelry, such as earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets. For footwear, they would wear sandals, which the Patricians had a version of the high heel shoe. When going to the Roman Bath complex, a Romans had invented the two piece bathing suit for women to wear.
wrinkles away. These products were made from a variety of sources, such as squid ink and roasted, smashed ants. Their favorite lipstick color was red. They also had decorative moles that were used to show what level of society they were from.
A common trend for hair was to have their hair curled, using heated iron rods. Once their hair was curled, they would braid and weave it accordingly. One popular style was called the Papal Tiara, which piled the hair upon the head. Different colored wigs were also in style among the rich, as a Patrician Woman, or Domina, would be expected to have a different hairstyle or hair color or length, every day of the week. Plebeian women were also fond of dying their hair any of a variety of colors (blue, blonde, red, black, yellow, etc).
Hygiene
Romans cared more about their personal hygiene then any other ancient civilization, but it was still well below what we are used to today. No one took showers in the morning. This is because soap had not been invented yet, and few people, if any, had running water in their homes. People would bath daily in the public Baths, where they could workout, take a bath, and get a massage. This would all take place in the afternoon, after work. They were very particular about their teeth. Romans would use a toothpick after each meal to get rid of any excess food. They would rub their teeth with baking soda, and then rinse their mouths out with urine. They would also have a version of breath mints to fight bad breath when in public.
As for the bathroom, there would be stations out in public where you could relieve yourself. You had to pay a small fee to use a public restroom, but the waste went into the sewer system, and got washed away. There would also be small sponges to allow a person to clean themselves afterwards, that could be thrown away as well.
Laundry
The Romans used a lot of cloth in their society and wanted their clothing to be clean. One of the common jobs for a slave was to clean the laundry. The slaves would put the clothing into the tub, and add in a mixture of water and urine (they had big pots to collect peoples urine to use for this job). They would spend hours squishing and squeezing the clothes in this mixture, then they
would rinse it and hang the clothes out to dry. Special clothing was ironed by a special flat metal tool that they would heat in the fire for that purpose. They had even invented a way of making clothes super white, which was important for a Patrician looking to stand out.
Food
The Romans loved to eat. The most important meal of the day was breakfast. They would eat focacce break, honey and milk as their main course. They would also eat fruit, cheeses, meats, and leftovers if they were still good from the night before. Coffee and hot chocolate had not been invented yet. Lunch would be very small. It would typically be a glass of wine and a sandwich. Some other common foods were eggs, olives, cheese, figs, legumes, anchovies, kabobs, and grilled fish. No matter the combination, it was still a miniature meal. Dinner would be another large meal, but the size would depend on your station in life. The poor would eat whatever they had available in the amount that they could afford to eat. The patricians would frequently have large banquets. These were 5-6 hour meals, with exotic foods to display their wealth. It was not uncommon to see flamingo, caviar, or camels feet on the menu. The most common foods were cabbage, raspberries, apples, pears, figs, honey, lentil beans, pork and fish. Food was chopped up into bite size pieces, as forks had not yet been invented. However, they did have a version of the knife and spoon.
Time and Calendars
be worn on your wrist. There were big sundials, that were over 200 feet wide and 500 feet long that had markings to tell you what the time and date were based on the length and angle of the shadow. Water clocks were also used in the home. These were like hour glasses, only they used water.
The Romans also invested the calendar system we use today, with meanings for each month: January: Month of the two faced god Janus! ! ! ! July: Dedicated to Julius Caesar February: Month of Purification (Latin word Februare)! ! ! August: Dedicated to Caesar Augustus March: Month of Mars (was also the first month of the year)! ! September: 7th Month (sept =7) April: Month of Aphrodite (Apru was the Etruscan goddess of love)! October: 8th Month (oct = 8) May: Month of Maia (goddess who makes things grow)! ! ! November: 9th Month (nov = 9) June: Month of goddess Juno! ! ! ! ! ! December: 10th Month (dec = 10)
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Names
Roman names had 3 parts:
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Praenomen: First Name (Marcus, Lucius, Caius, etc)
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Nomen Gentilicum: Family or Clan name
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Cognomon: An adjective that describes the persons physical or moral traits
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Rufus (Red), Cincinnatus (Curly), Brutus (Stupid), Calus (Bald), Caecus (Blind), Cicero
(Chickpea), Nascia (Big Nose), Dentatus (Big Teeth)
During the Republic, they called a person by the 1st & Third names. At the beginning of the Empire,
they used all 3 names. By the end of the Empire, they were just using the 3rd name.
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School
Most kids went to some sort of school, at least in their younger years. They learned how to read, write
and do basic math. These school days would be held outside on a porch. There would be 25-30
students per teacher. They would learn the alphabet and basic latin, basic penmanship, and
memorize the Roman laws. Students who started to good off or fall asleep would receive a strong
whack from the teachers rod to... refocus them. After basic grammar school, plebeian kids went to
work to earn money for their family.
Education was a sign of wealth and power. Patrician kids from 12 and up when to private schools to
learn Greek and Latin literature, mythology, astronomy, history, music, math and geography. At the
age of 15, these students would learn how to speak eloquently, and how to make a good argument.
This will serve them well in politics and business.
Games
Outside of school, kids would play games in their free time. They would stack walnuts together in the
shape of a pyramid. The kids would then stand far away and throw a walnut to try and knock over the
pile. They would play “blind man’s bluff” (later to be known as Marco Polo), Hide and Seek, spin
wooden tops, and ride on a see-saw. Boys would play make-believe soldiers, pretending to ride a
stick like a horse. Girls had dolls, called pupae, to play with, including a doll that had moving arms
and legs like barbie.
Adults enjoyed playing games too. A favorite
game was called Murra or Micatio. Two people
face each other with their arms bent, hands near
their face. Each player drops their hands,
showing a certain number of fingers and they
shout out a number, 2 through 20. The goal is to
guess the total number of fingers being shown
between the two players.
game, “odds or evens.” In this game, a person holds a number of pebbles in their hand, and the other
has to guess if is an odd or even number of pebbles. People would also gamble rolling dice.
Whomever had the highest numbers would win. It was illegal, but people didn’t care. People would
gain and lose fortunes playing dice (as much as $580,000).
Even Caesar Augustus had a huge gambling problem. Death or a severe beating awaited anyone
who got caught cheating.
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Colosseum/Coliseum
The Colosseum was an Amphitheater for the Gladiatorial games. Gladiators
were prisoners of war who were sentenced to die by fighting. They would be
trained at gladiator fighting schools, and then would fight at the games. The
Colosseum itself held between 50,000-70,000 spectators. The games were
free, but you had to have a ticket (they were made of bone), which told the
gate to enter and the seat to sit at. Outside of the Colosseum were a
myriad of statues, including a 90 foot tall statue called the Colossus. It
was a statue of Apollo, made out of bronze. Caesars would hold games
to celebrate victories or to keep favor with the people. Caesar Trajan
would hold 120 straight days of games to celebrate his victory. It had
the same popularity as sports have for us today. It was a way of keep the
people entertained, while eliminating prisoners of war or criminals. Over 1
million people will meet their death on
the sands of the Colosseum.
A day at the games would be broken down into three parts.
Part one would be the hunt, where gladiators would fight wild
animals. Part two was the public execution. Criminals would
be tied up and fed to wild lions or tigers. Part three was
everyones favorites... the gladiator fights. Here, gladiators
would fight to the roar of the crowd with the goal of being the
last one standing. Sometimes, they would even do special
events such as flooding the Colosseum, and having ships
battle to the crowds entertainment.
Baths
These were the building complexes for the people to
workout, socialize and clean themselves. There were over 1000 public baths in Rome. The largest
one was the size of a modern day neighborhood. It was a massive work of marble and granite. It
consisted of 3 different pools, each that could hold
over 3,000 people. One was room temperature, one
was heated, to the point of steaming, and other was
ice cold. Inside this building, there would be a
library, two gymnasiums where people worked out
and played games (volleyball, handball, wrestling,
boxing), a theater to watch plays, gardens, statues,
small forests, and fountains. It was free to the
