The rich… For wealthy Romans, life was good. They lived in beautiful houses – often on the hills outside Rome, away from the noise and the smell. They enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle with luxurious furnishings, surrounded by servants and slaves to cater to their every desire. Many would hold exclusive dinner parties and serve their guests the exotic dishes of the day.
The poor… Poorer Romans, however, could only dream of such a life. Sweating it out in the city, they lived in shabby, squalid houses that could collapse or burn at any moment. If times were hard, they might abandon newborn babies to the streets, hoping that someone else would take them in as a servant or slave Poor in wealth but strong in numbers, they were the Roman mob, who relaxed in front of the popular entertainment of the time chariot races between opposing teams, or gladiators fighting for their lives, fame and fortune
Family Life Patterfamilia (father of the house) had absolute rule over his household and children. If they angered him, he had the legal right to disown his children, sell them into slavery or even kill them Only the men could own property Men had the right to decide whether to keep newborn babies. After birth, the midwife placed babies on the ground: only if the paterfamilias picked it up was the baby formally accepted into the family. If the decision went the other way, the baby was exposed – deliberately abandoned outside
A glimpse at teenage life in Rome
Women’s rights…? Around 25 percent of babies in the first century AD did not survive their first year and up to half of all children would die before the age of 10 As a result, the Roman state gave legal rewards to women who had successfully given birth. After three live babies (or four children for former slaves), women were recognized as legally independent For most women, only at this stage could they choose to shrug off male control and take responsibility for their own lives.
Roman Baths The baths gave citizens of all classes the chance to mingle, gossip and relax. They were viewed as fundamental to Roman civilization and an obvious example of Rome’s superiority to the rest of the world. Every day, Romans would finish work around the middle of the afternoon and make their way to the baths. Men of all social classes mixed freely together. Old, young, rich and poor would share the daily ritual of the baths.
typical Roman bath
Bathing rituals When at the baths, Romans would visit the different rooms in a specific order. They would start at the Apodyterium, or dressing room, where they would undress and leave their clothing, which would be watched over by a servant or slave. They would then visit the Palaestra, or Gymnasium, where they could exercise and where they would have their body oiled before the baths themselves. Next up was the Frigidarium, or cold room, which contained a cold plunge bath, before they visited the Tepidarium, or warm room, to recover. The final room was the Caldarium, a steamy hot room which might also have a hot plunge bath, or labrum. After all this, the oil would be scraped off their skin by a servant, using a special tool called a strigil
Mythology & Spirituality They believed that spirits protected the family, home and even the trees and rivers. These spirits were worshipped regularly. (POLYTHEISTIC) Spirits of the rivers and trees Household spirits Even food cupboards had their own spirits, called penates Family spirits had a protective spirit, called a lar Dinnertime offerings A portion of every meal was thrown into the fire as an offering
Gladiators How could a country that civilized so much of the world could be so keen on watching men and women fight to the death? Stems from Etruscan funeral ritual: when a tribal chief died, his warriors would make a blood sacrifice to his spirit by fighting to the death by his tomb The games were so popular that successful gladiators could become extremely rich and very famous. As a result, while most gladiators were condemned criminals, slaves or prisoners of war, some were freedmen who chose to fight, either as a way to achieve fame and fortune, or simply because they enjoyed it
Gladiators The games took place in amphitheaters. Gladiators would be sent to the arena – named after the sand which covered the ground and soaked up the blood fight to the death before cheering crowds of thousands. As the contests became more organized, gladiators became more specialized. There were five types of gladiator, each with their own unique weapons: The Mirmillones were heavily armed and wore helmets decorated with fish Thracians carried just a shield and scimitar, making them much quicker on their feet. The Retiarii were armed with just a net, a long trident and a dagger, and the Samnites had a sword, an oblong shield and a helmet with a visor. Finally, the Bestiarii fought wild animals
“Are you not entertained?!”
The Circus Maximus- Chariot Races Chariot races took place in the Circus Maximus, a huge, oval shaped stadium that could seat nearly 200,000 spectators. The stadium had two long parallel sides and one rounded end with seating all around. The other end was filled with stables and starting boxes Races were rough -they lasted seven laps and would include as many as 12 chariots at any one time. To be as fast as possible, the chariots had to be very light, which made them very dangerous, usually driven by slaves or freedmen They could then be trampled and killed by the charging horses, or get caught in the reins and dragged to their deaths
Off to the races!