Transcript Familiae Romanae - Bishop Ireton High School

Familiae Romanae
Families, houses, and family life in
Ancient Rome
Roman families
The Roman family was patriarchal
-- centered around the father, or
paterfamilias. The father had an
absolute right over all members
of his household -- slaves, wife,
and children, all of whom were in
manu to the father -- which was
known as the patria potestas. The
family was seen as fundamental
to Roman culture and laws were
generally intended to strengthen
family values. The famous
clothing worn by a Roman man
was called the toga, and was
plain white for most citizens;
magistrates and children wore
the purple-striped toga praetexta,
and Romans running for office
wore the toga candida.
The toga itself was worn formally as a wrap over the basic item of dress, the tunica.
The formal tunic worn with a toga was again usually plain white, with a narrow purple
stripe running down from the shoulder for the Knights, members of the wealthy upper
class, or a broader one for members of the Senate. Other colours were used for tunics,
especially when they were to be worn without togas. Classical Romans never wore
trousers, and they generally wore sandals rather than full-cut shoes.
Women and children
Women and children were subordinate to men, especially in upper class
families. Upper class women might never be allowed to leave the house, at
least without a slave escort. Women also wore the tunica, but instead of the
toga, they wore the stola, a similar wrap, and often wore a palla over their
head. Children wore the toga praetexta and a bulla, a magic charm to ward
off danger.
Slaves
There were many slaves in the ancient world -- some Romans described
absolute poverty as the inability of a family to own a single slave. Slaves
sometimes lived in horrible conditions as agricultural or mine laborers, or
sometimes they lived glamorous or pampered lives as gladiators,
hairdressers, or teachers of Roman children. Some slaves were given their
freedom (manumissio) and these often became quite wealthy and powerful.
Roman houses: the domus
The domus was the townhouse in which wealthy Romans lived. They were
generally built around an atrium, in which were located a small shrine and
statues of famous ancestors, with room for the owner to meet with his clients.
The atrium also contained many decorations to display the wealth of the family.
Rooms came off of the atrium or, in some large houses, the peristyle garden in
the back of the house. Private rooms like bedrooms (cubicula) or offices (
tablina) were generally small and barely furnished, whereas public rooms like
the 3-couched dining room (triclinium) were often fabulously ornate.
Insulae and casae
Insulae were only present in bit cities like Rome, where the high land value
made rents profitable. They were big apartment buildings, often six stories or
so high, and usually very crowded. Sometimes they burned down or
collapsed. Casae and magalia were cottages in which poorer Romans lived in
the countryside -- usually consisting of one main room, and normally built
out of poor materials. While Rome itself gets most of the attention, the huge
majority of people in the ancient world lived in the countrside.
Villae
The famous Roman villae were country houses for the super-wealthy. The rich
generally had at least one house outside the city, and often they had many. The
wealthiest Romans got their money from farming the land at a villa rustica -- a
palatial farmhouse. Those who could afford it might also have a country house
which did not create any income, but only provided a place to vacation -- a villa
urbana. Sometimes Romans would allow a friend to use their villa, obliging them
to return the favour. The Latin word for these men would be hospites.