Transcript Daily life in the Roman Empire

Daily life in the Roman
Empire
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CLOTHING
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Roman men generally wore two garments, the
tunica and the toga.
The tunica was a short woolen under garment
with short sleeves.
The classic toga was a distinct Roman garment
that only actual citizens were allowed to wear.
The toga was a large robe like garment of white
wool and used up to 9 yards of material.
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Roman women also wore tunica in much
the same fashion as the men.
Married women were required to wear the
loose, toga equivalent, stola.
This long sleeveless tunic was strapped at
the shoulder, gathered in and belted at the
waist with the garment extending to the feet
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Foot-gear was mainly of two kinds, but was
worn in many styles and customs.
The calceus was a sandal like shoe
strapped to the foot,
The soleae was a full shoe completely
enclosing the foot, much more similar to the
modern shoe.
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Marriage
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Children took the social rank of the father, be it
patrician or plebeian, regardless of the mother's
status.
The bride was dressed in a long white robe, with a
bridal veil, and shoes of a bright yellow color.
She was escorted in the evening to her future
husband's home by three boys, one of whom
carried a torch, the other two supporting her by
the arm.
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The groom received the bride at the door, which
she entered with distaff and spindle in hand.
The keys of the house were then delivered to her.
The day ended with a feast given by the husband,
after which the bride was conducted to the bridal
couch which was adorned with flowers.
http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-weddings.php
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The position of the Roman woman after
marriage was very different from that of the
Greeks.
She presided over the whole household,
educated her children, watched over and
preserved the honor of the house, and
shared the honors and respect shown to
her husband
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Entertainment: Chariot Races
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Less violent than the gladiators, chariot racing was
still an extreme, dangerous sport, in which drivers
could die.
Chariot races took place in the Circus Maximus, a
huge, oval shaped stadium that could seat nearly
200,000 spectators
Races were rough and raucous – 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 for
their drivers, who were usually slaves or
freedmen.
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Gladiators
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Successful gladiators were the movie
stars of the first century – so famous
that even free men lined up to take their
chances in the arena.
Bloody, brutal but popular, gladiatorial
contests are often seen as the dark side
of Roman civilization.
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There were five types of gladiator, each with their
own unique weapons.
The Mirmillones were heavily armed and wore
helmets decorated with fish, while the 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.
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The Baths
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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.
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This ritual was so entrenched in daily life
that, to many citizens, it was nothing less
than a symbol of Rome itself.
To Romans, the baths proved that they
were cleaner – and therefore better – than
inhabitants of other countries.
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FAMILY ROLES
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Families were dominated by men. At the
head of Roman family life was the oldest
living male, called the "paterfamilias," or
"father of the family."
He looked after the family's business affairs
and property and could perform religious
rites on their behalf.
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The paterfamilias 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 paterfamilias could own property:
whatever their age, until their father died, his sons
only received an allowance, or peliculum, to
manage their own households.
Sons were important, because Romans put a lot of
value on continuing the family name. If a father
had no sons then he could adopt one – often a
nephew – to make sure that the family line would
not die out.
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Materfamilias
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Roman women usually married in their early teenage years,
while men waited until they were in their mid-twenties. As a
result, the materfamilias (mother of the family) was usually
much younger than her husband.
As was common in Roman society, while men had the
formal power, women exerted influence behind the scenes.
It was accepted that the materfamilias was in charge of
managing the household. In the upper classes, she was also
expected to assist her husband’s career by behaving with
modesty, grace and dignity
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The paterfamilias 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. This
usually happened to deformed babies, or when the
father did not think that the family could support
another child.
Babies were exposed in specific places and it was
assumed that an abandoned baby would be
picked up and taken a slave.
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Even babies accepted into the household by the
paterfamilias had a rocky start in life.
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.
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