Question

HOME IN Rome

DIRECTIONS: Pretend you are an ancient Roman. Which aspect(s) of Roman life would you MOST like to change and why?

Although the majority of Romans were poor farm laborers, Roman culture centered in cities. Wealthy people had large homes with many rooms surrounding an open courtyard, but most city-dwellers lived in multi-family housing with shops in front or on a lower level. As in most cities, people worked in many different jobs and had varying levels of income and lifestyle. For the most part Roman meals were simple, prepared by the mother of the house or a slave under her direction. Lower classes ate mostly bread, vegetables, fruits, cheese, and olives, and drank wine or water. Upper classes had a more varied diet, frequently including fresh meats and honey. Everyone either ate with their fingers or used a spoon. Most men went to work in the morning and sometime in the afternoon went to the baths. The baths were gathering places where people met and talked, played games, and of course bathed. Water was heated by a large fire under huge water tanks and pipes which ran beneath the baths. Women mainly worked at home or oversaw slaves who did the household work for them. Mothers taught their daughters to spin, weave, sew, and cook. A few girls also went to school, but mostly the boys were educated and then only if their families could afford to send them to school, which was not free. From around age. six or seven, students studied reading, writing, and counting. Later, at around the age of twelve, boys would either learn a trade or go to "grammar" schools where they went on to study Latiri, Greek, grammar, and literature. A few went beyond that to study public speaking to become orators. Slaves, one form of property, were common in the Roman Empire; the rich had many. In fact the number of slaves a person owned was a status symbol in Roman society. In addition to the usual labor, slaves worked in all manner of jobs: they served as hairdressers, footmen, messengers, accountants, tutors, secretaries, carpenters, plumbers, librarians, and goldsmiths. Some were even doctors, architects, and business managers. Although it was possible for slaves to buy or earn their freedom, few did.

DIRECTIONS: Pretend you are an ancient Roman. Which aspect(s) of Roman life would you MOST like to change and why?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

Answer 1

As with many cultures, a person’s quality of life depended in many ways on their rank within the social structure.

Two Romans living at the same time in the same city could have very different lives.

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.

…and 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 life, fame and fortune.