Chapter 35

Daily Life in the Roman Empire

“All Roads Lead to Rome”

• Romans had built and extensive network of Roads.

• Expression became common throughout the Roman Empire.

Forum

• “gathering place”

• Originally was an open air market place in the center of Rome

• Over time numerous government buildings, plazas, reigious and other buildings built.

35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome

• City of great contrasts

• Over 1 million people in Rome

• Most people lived in tiny apartments

35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome

• Wealthy Romans

– women shopped at the forum with their slaves

– Wealthy Senators used body guards for protection

– Silks, perfumes, jeweled weapons, and musical instruments

– Homes with statues, fountains, and fine pottery

35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome

• Slaves:– Hundreds of thousands of slaves

• Escorted women in the forum• Forced to fight in gladiator games• Teachers and other skilled labored

• Soldiers and Craftsmen

• Foreigners– Britain, Spain, Europeans, Egypt, and the rest of the

empire

35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome

• City Life (Poor)

– Filthy neighborhoods

– Most children died by the age of 10

– “Bread and Circus”

• Most poor could not find jobs because slaves had taken them

• Given food and entertainment free by the government such as gladiator games and chariot races

35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome

• Rural or Country Living

– Most people lived in the countryside

– Most of the people in the countryside were poor

– Some small family farms

– Some worked on huge estates owned by the rich

35.3: Law and Order

• Rule of Law

– Law applies to everyone equally at all times

– The intent and spirit of the law must be maintained and applied

– Bedrock founding principle of the United States

35.3: Law and Order

• Senate and Assemblies created most laws in the Roman Republic

• Emperor was the final authority/source of law in the Roman Empire

– “whatever pleases the emperor is the law”

35.3: Law and Order

• Old time honored traditions were followed

– Senate continued to meet even in the empire

– Senators had many privileges because of their position

– Important senators had bodyguards

• Fasces

– Bundles of sticks with an axe in the center

– Symbol that government could use force, physical punishment, and strict enforcement of the law whenever necessary (martial law principle)

35.3: Law and Order

• Law Enforcement and Crime– Laws were strict

– Crime was common• Most common: Stealing, assault, and murder

– Rich neighborhoods protected

– Lack of protection in the poorer parts of town

– Some streets closed at night due to dangers

35.3: Law and Order

• Protection Against Crime:

– Rich wore old dirty togas when they traveled at night

– Wealthy women warned not to go out alone even during the daytime

35.3: Law and Order

• Criminal Proceedings/Trials

– All citizens could bring charges against another

– Jury of Roman citizens decided the case

• “jury of your peers (U.S.)

– family and personal appearance used to get sympathy

• Dress poorly

• Have children/wives cry before the jury

35.3: Law and Order

• Rule of Law– Belief that law should apply to everyone equally

– In realty, wealthy received special treatment under the law

– Poor people punished more harshly including torture

– Law stated torture could not be used against a Roman citizen

– Law was thrown out if the poor person were convicted by a fair trial• Used to find out who accomplices were and to ease the conscience

of the judges who issued the conviction• Common methods: Crucifixion, lashes,

– Salves testimony could only be used if obtained by torture

35.4: Religion• Adopted Greek gods and gods from other cultures to create a set of Roman

gods– Names of some planets came from Roman gods:

• Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars, Neptune

• Believed gods controlled daily life

• Offerings and promises– gifts of food, honey cakes and fruit

– sacrificed animals such as bulls, sheep, and oxen

– Left offering for the sick and injured sometimes in the form of the body part that was affected

• Festivals and Holidays

• Home altars by the family hearth or fireplace– goddess Vesta: Threw small cakes into the fire

• Emperors honored as gods– Caligula: built his own statue and had it clothed the same as himself everyday

• New religions accepted as long as it didn’t encourage disloyalty to the emperor:

– Christians would not recognize the emperor as god

35.4: Reading Notes

• 1. Answer the trivia question.– Romans would put a little clay foot by a statue at

a temple to remind the god which part of the body needed to be healed.

• 2. List two key differences between ancient Rome and modern times.– (1) Romans believed in Greek gods; people today

have different beliefs.

– (2) Romans honored the emperors as gods; we don’t honor our leaders as gods.

35.5: Family Life

• Paterfamilias

– Father of the family ruled the family

– Father’s decisions/words were the law at home

– Every child regardless of age or living at or away from home had to follow his orders

35.5: Family Life

• Men

– Expected to provide for the family

• Rich: high paying political positions

• Poor: men/women both worked

35.5: Family Life

• Households

– Rich women ran the household

• Bought and trained slaves

• Many ran businesses

• Bought and sold property

35.5: Family Life

• Babies:– Born at home

• Strong and healthy babies kept

• Weak or babies not meeting father’s approval were left outside to die

– Named in a special ceremony after 9 days and given a Bulla, or good luck charm, worn throughout childhood

35.5: Family Life

• Boys (14-18 years old)

– Ceremony between 14-18 years old to end childhood:

• Celebrated becoming a man by giving their bulla, toys, and clothes to the gods

35.5: Family Life

• Girls

– No ceremony to end childhood

– Married between ages 12-18

35.5: Family Life

• Weddings/Marriages– Held at a temple

– Bride wore white toga and long veil

– Groom wore white toga and leather shoes shined with animal fat

• New husband did not become the paterfamilias until his father died

35.6: Food and Drink• Rich had kitchens in the home

• Poor used small grills in the home

• Fast Food

– Both rich and poor bought ready made hot/cold food from the Thermopolia

• Diet

– Main foods were bread, beans, spices, some vegetables and meat, cheese, honey, and wine

– Breakfast: bread and bowl of beans or porridge (oatmeal)

– Lunch: cheese, bread, olives, and celery

– Dinner:• Poor: fish, asparagus, and figs

• Rich: special appetizers, mice cooked in honey, roasted parrots stuffed with dates, slated jellyfish, and snails dipped in milk

35.6: Food and Drink

• Roman Markets

– Wide variety

– Playful monkeys and birds to attract customers

– Fruits, live rabbits and chickens, geese, baskets of snails, various meats, and fish sauce

35.7: Housing• Rich:

– large open homes made from stone and marble

– Thick walls to keep out the noise

– Atrium• Inside the front door

• Used to welcome guests

• Small pool and opening in the ceiling kept it cool

– Dining Room• Fanciest room in the house

• Covered with pictures, murals, and tiled mosaics

• Statues in the corners and some with fountains in the center for cool drinking water

– Dinner Parties• Guests lay on couches

• Dinners prepared by slaves

• Music played by slaves on the flute, lyre and lute

35.7: Housing• Poor

– small dark crowded apartments made of wood

– Some lived in rooms above their shops

– Portable grills filled the apartments with smoke

– Cramped, noisy, and dirty

– Disease carrying rats spread sickness rapidly

– Fire was a constant danger

– 64 C.E./A.D. fire burned down most of the city

35.8: Education• Poor :

– went to work instead of school

– Learned trades such as leather and metal working to support the family

• Rich:

– Tutored by fathers or slaves

– Stopped by the breakfast bar on the way to school to buy beans, nuts, and bread to eat on the way to school

– Learned Greek, Latin, math, science, literature, music, and public speaking

– Girls: dentists, realtors, tutors, or midwives (nurses for childbirth)

– Boys: soldiers, doctors, politicians, and lawyers

• Most went to school until age 13 but some stayed until 16 then managed their own property

35.9: Recreation• Roman Baths

– Both poor and rich

– Bath, swim, exercise, steam, or massage

– Gardens, libraries, shops, and art galleries

• Rich:– Extra leisure time (slaves worked)

– Plays at the theater

– Musicals in the homes

• Poor:– “Bread and Circus” free public entertainment and food for the poor

provided by the emperor

– Chariot races and gladiator fights

– Attempt to keep them busy/out of trouble (lost jobs due to high number of slaves)

35.9: Recreation• Gladiator Games

– Held at the Colosseum

– Both men and women participated

– Slaves or prisoners of war fought each other and wild animals to the death

– Thousands died painfully for entertainment

– Men and women sat in different sections

35.9: Recreation• Circus Maximus

– Favorite entertainment of the Romans

– Huge racetrack held 200,000 people

– Gambled on chariot races

– Rich in the shade on cushions close to the track

– Poor in the sun on wooden benches away from the track

– Men and women sat together and it became a popular meeting place

35.10: Country Life• 90% lived out in the countryside

• Rich– Large villas to invest money in crops and livestock

– Came to relax during the summer months

– Checked on the work, read books, wrote, hunted, picnics, and long walks

• Poor– Had small family farms

– Many lost their jobs as they were replaced by slaves

– Soldiers lost farms when they went to war

– Lived in huts and life was hard

– Many moved to the city for the “Bread and Circus” provided by the emperor

• Slaves treated very harshly

• Large farms produced:– most of the food, for Rome and other cities

– Grain for bread, grapes for wine, olives for oil

– Goats and sheep for cheese and clothing

– Cattle and pigs for meat

– Bees for honey