Transcript 35.1 Daily Life in the Roman Empire

35.1 Daily Life in the Roman Empire
• “All roads lead to Rome”
• The Forum
• Means “gathering place”
• Open area for merchants stalls, races, games and
plays
• Heart of religious, business, and government life
35.2 Daily Life in Ancient Rome
• Home to 1 million people
• Slaves
• Many captured in war
• Rich
• Spent money on perfumes, silk, jewels, instruments
• Poor
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Filthy neighborhoods
Crime
Disease
Children lucky to live to the age of 10
35.3 Law and Order
• Republic
• Senate and Assemblies
• Empire
• Emperor
• Laws strict, but crime common
• Stealing, assault, and murder
• Police patrolled good neighborhoods; ignored poor areas
• Rich disguised themselves as poor
• Any Roman could accuse someone of a crime
• Jury of citizens decided the case
• Poor faced harsher punishments than the rich
35.4 Religion
• Adopted gods and goddess from others
• Gods/goddesses controlled daily life
• Left gifts/offerings at temples
• Every family had an altar for the household gods
• Every day threw a small cake into fire as an offering to Vesta (family goddess)
• Emperors elevated to god-like status
• Foreigners brought their religions to Rome
35.5 Family Life
• Paterfamilias
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“Father of the family”
Fathers word was law
Roman fathers decided who lived and who died
Only become a paterfamilias when your father dies
• Boys offered his childhood things to the gods
• Girls were married between 12 and 18
35.6 Food and Drink
• Rich
• Had kitchens
• Fancy meals with special appetizers; mice in honey, roasted parrots, salted
jellyfish and snails dipped in milk
• Poor
• Ate at “thermopolia” or fast-food restraunts
• Staples
• Bread, beans, spices, cheese, meats, water, and wine
35.7 Housing
• Rich
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Built of stone
Large and airy
Atrium with a pool
Dining room with beautiful murals
• Poor
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Most lived in apartments over where they worked
Small, portable grills
Cramped, noisy and dirty
Built of wood (fire danger)
35.8 Education
• Poor
• Sent to work instead of school
• Learned trades; metalworking and leatherworking
• Rich
• Tutored by fathers or slaves until 7, then went to school
• Walked to school
• Used a stylus to write
• Boys
• Became soldiers, doctors, politicians, lawyers
• Girls
• Dentists, tutors, midwives
35.9 Recreation
• Rich
• Plays, theaters, music
• Baths
• Rich and poor alike
• Bathe, swim, massage
• “Bread and Circuses”
• Food and entertainment to keep the people docile
• (prevent rebellion)
• Colosseum
• Male and female gladiators
• Entertainment
• Circus Maximus
• Racetrack with chariots
35.10 Country Life
• 90% of Roman Empire lived in the country
• Wealthy owned villas
• Summer retreat from Roman heat
• Provided the food for Rome
• Slaves did most of the work
• Treated cruelly
• Typically very poor
• “He who does not work shall not eat”