ancient rome

• 2000 years ago Rome was a city of a million people – the largest in Europe
• Marble and stone buildings surrounded its public spaces
• There was running water, central heating, a sewerage system, schools, public baths and lavish public entertainments paid for by the Govt
• The Roman Forum


  A public space where people gathered to buy and sell goods, in the market, held there every eight days
• Newspapers, informing people of the latest developments were posted in the Roman Forum
• The Senate was housed in the Roman Forum and many public celebrations were held on the Via Sacra, which ran right through the Forum
• Generals held their victory parades along the Via Sacra in the Roman Forum
• Aqueducts


  High stone arches containing cement-lined pipes, which carried water from the hills to the city where it was gathered into huge cisterns
• From the cisterns, the water flowed into public fountains at the end of every street
• The rich had water piped straight to their homes
• The aqueducts also carried sewerage to the River Tiber
• Public Baths


  The largest could cater to 10,000 people in a day, opening from 10:30 till mid-afternoon
• Sequence of rooms in the public baths

  1. Changing room

  2. Tepidarium (warm hall to help people sweat)

  3. Frigidarium (cold room with swimming pool)

  4. Caldarium (very hot room with sauna and Turkish bath)
• Both rich and poor alike used the public baths
• Chariot races


  Seven laps long around the Circus Maximus, which held 250,000 people
• Crashes were common and huge bets were placed on the chariot races
• Gladiator fights


  Staged all over the Empire, with the Colosseum in Rome being the most popular venue (50,000 capacity)
• The rich were accompanied by their slaves at the baths or the games
• Clothing of the rich

  Tunic of wool or linen reaching to the knees, with a Toga for men and a Stola for women
• The rich had great power and helped run the Empire and the Army
• Domus


  The large townhouses of the rich, entered through a narrow door leading to an Atrium (central open-to-sky area), with a Peristyle (garden surrounded by a covered passage) and sometimes a Hypocaust (central heating system)
• The rich decorated their houses with wall paintings and floor mosaics
• The rich held lavish dinner parties, reclining on couches, and could go to a Vomitorium to induce vomiting after eating too much
• Insulae


  The single room flats in six or seven story blocks where most Roman families lived
• The cheapest flats were at the very top of the Insulae, while the ground floor usually held shops
• The poor dressed in a single short tunic all year round
• The poor were given free grain by the government, called the Dole, and had no access to education but could attend the public entertainments free of charge
• Strict upbringing of Roman children

  Boys brought up by their fathers, girls stayed home with mothers and learned domestic skills
• Education of rich children

  1. Elementary school (Ludus) ages 7-11

  2. Grammar school ages 12-16 (learning Greek, Latin, Oratory)
• Schools closed every eighth day because of the market at the Forum
• Until age 16, boys wore a Toga with a purple stripe, then a plain white Toga to signify adulthood
• Slaves


  Prisoners of war, bought and sold like property, with varying treatment from important tasks to manual labour, some had earlobes cut off or were branded/crucified if they ran away
• The Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to the Sahara Desert, from Portugal to Iraq, ruled by one Emperor who appointed Governors for the Provinces
• The Provinces had to pay high taxes, leading to frequent rebellions that had to be put down by the army
• Roman Legion


  Main fighting unit of about 5,000 soldiers, including Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery, divided into Centuries and Cohorts
• Roman soldiers served for 20 years, then were given a farm to retire to, with Legionnaires required to be Roman citizens and Auxiliaries being non-citizens
• A Legionnaire's equipment weighed about 40 kilos, including a short two-edged sword, shield and javelins
• Romans were famous for their extensive road network, with the Via Appia being the most famous, stretching from Rome to Brindisi
• Romans also travelled extensively by sea, especially during the summer months, trading with India, Greece, Africa, Arabia and China
• Pagan beliefs


  Many gods and goddesses, including Jupiter as the father of the gods, altars in homes, belief in spirits of ancestors, placing coins in mouths of the dead as payment to Charon