The Good Life of a Roman

If you had a rich dad he would have begun his day around dawn. First he would put on his toga and then enjoy a nice breakfast of bread, cheese, honey, and water.

Before leaving for town he would pray at the household shrine. He would thank the Gods for his family and his life and ask for blessings upon him and his family.

He would then begin his work. This might include writing letters to other Romans, seeing different clients and going to the forum to meet the other businessmen.

After a light lunch he might take a nap, get a haircut and then finish his work for the day. In the late afternoon many Roman men went to the public baths to relax after a hard day's work. After the baths he would return home to enjoy a dinner with friends.

Was Your Dad a Roman Celebrity?

The best gladiators in Rome were treated like movie stars! The Ancient Romans loved gladiator fights, and the more blood and gore, the better. Unfortunately their glamorous lives were often very short.

Most Roman gladiators were prisoners of war, slaves or criminals and sometimes included women, although many citizens could also sign up. Being a gladiator wasn't a very long or secure career and a lot of gladiators died in combat for the entertainment of the crowds.

Gladiators trained in a special school to help them become stronger, faster, better fighters and then they were sent to the amphitheatre to fight. Romans cheered their hero's every move and booed losers or cowards.

The best gladiators, those who survived three to five years of combat, would be given their freedom. They would also be given a wooden sword, called a rudis, a wreath, and a small fortune. A lot of freed gladiators became gladiator trainers.

Children for Sale!

Nowadays your dad might send you to your room, or ground you if you are naughty; you may not like it but you should count yourself lucky! Back in Roman times, if children angered their father he had the legal right to sell his them into slavery, disown them, or even kill them!

School Started When it was Still Dark

Most children in Ancient Rome usually started school when they were seven years old. Your school day would begin before the sun had risen and did not end until late afternoon!

The main aim of attending school was to teach boys to become effective speakers; this would help you gain a job as a politician or a businessman.

In early Roman days, a child's education took place in the home where parents taught their children everything they knew. The father instructed his sons in Roman laws, history, customs, and physical training, preparing them for war. Mothers taught the girls how to spin, weave, and sew.

Roman Dads Expanded the Empire

Your Roman dad might have been a soldier. Rome had professional soldiers whose only job was to protect and expand Rome.

Once a soldier had joined the army he had to serve for at least 25 years, the most clever and noble soldiers became Centurions in charge of 80 soldiers.

Each soldier had to be strong and tough, marching a day in full armour. They also had to carry their shield, food and camping equipment.

Roman soldiers weren't allowed to marry as they spent most of their lives expanding and defending their empire. They left behind their families as they travelled to many different countries and places. The Romans travelled all the way to England!

Earning a Living

Yeomen and citizens had a good life. They were not gentlemen who were born into wealth, but rich enough to be well off. Yeomen would either own their own land or rented land from richer gentlemen which they would farm.

Citizens would live in the towns. They were clever merchants and skilled craftsmen earning a good living. Merchants mainly made their living by trading goods with ship owners, and because they were skilled craftsmen they could command a good price for the goods that they made.

How Romantic

In Roman times sometimes girls would not marry the person they loved, but the person who their dad had picked for them!

When girls were 14 years old, their dad could consult with friends to find suitable partners that could improve the family's wealth or class.

If they married the man chosen by their father, girls had to leave their house to live with their new husband and his family.

Roman Living

Wealthy Romans lived in beautiful houses - often on the hills outside Rome, away from the noise and the smell of the inner city. They enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle with luxurious furnishings, almost always surrounded by slaves to cater for their every need. Many would hold exclusive dinner parties and serve their guests the exotic dishes of the day.

Most citizens living in Rome and other cities were housed in "insulae". These were blocks of flats with small, street-front shops and workshops, whose owners lived above and behind the working area. Several insula would surround an open courtyard and would, together, form one city block.

The insulae were often badly built and few had any running water, sanitation or heating. Constructed from wood and brick, they were dangerously vulnerable to fire or collapse. You can still see some examples of insulae in Ostia which was the ancient harbour city of Rome.

Plebeians

Poorer Dads were craftsmen, shopkeepers, or farmers. Lower class citizens were called 'Plebeians.' If you had a poorer dad in Ancient Rome, he would have started the day at first light and since he could not afford to buy much food, he would eat only bread dipped in wine for breakfast.

The rest of the day included working at the workshop or in the fields. As his son you may have gone to help out with his day to day work and learn his trade.

When his day had finished he would return home and eat dinner, he would have to go to sleep right after dinner so he would be ready to wake up early and work the next day.

Can you count to X?

In Roman times they needed some way to show numbers as they were very active in commerce and trade. The system they developed has lasted many years and is still sometimes used today!

Symbols and their meanings:

I or i 1 or one ( unus )

V or v 5 or five ( quinque )

X or x 10 or ten ( decem )

L or l 50 or fifty ( quinquaginta )

C or c 100 or one hundred ( centum )

D or d 500 or five hundred ( quingenti )

M or m 1000 or one thousand ( mille )

These main symbols can be used together to make any numbers in between, for instance;

II or ii for two

III or iii for three. The final character is sometimes "j" instead of "i", often in medical prescriptions.

IV, iv, IIII or iiii for four

VI or vi for six

VII or vii for seven

VIII or viii for eight

IX or ix or for nine (viiii can also be used)

Dressed to Kill

Gladiators were often dressed to represent enemies of Rome or people from Roman Mythology; it was seen as insulting to dress Gladiators in Roman armour but it was also more of a spectacle to dress up.

Here are some of the many different Gladiator types and their armour.

A Murmillo was a heavyweight Gladiator. He carries a large oblong shield and an infantry sword (gladius). He has a heavily-padded over boot and leg armour called a greave worn on his left leg for protection. He also has his shield and a helmet with a large fish fin on it, like the sea fish his name comes from.

The Retarius was the most vulnerable Gladiator. He only has a shoulder guard (manica) on his left arm for protection. He can move swiftly and has a trident to allow for long range attack. He has a net (rete) to whip, catch, or trip his opponent, and then he has a short dagger for extra protection.

Bestiarii : (beast fighters) originally armed with a spear or knife, these gladiators were condemned to fight beasts. It was unlikely that these gladiators would survive. In later times, the Bestiarii were highly trained, specializing in various types of exotic, imported beasts.

Dimachaeri : Used two-swords, one in each hand.

Equites : Fought on horseback with a spear and gladius, dressed in a full tunic, with a manica (arm-guard). Generally, the Equites only fought gladiators of their own type.

Essedari : Celtic style charioteers, likely first brought to Rome from Britain by Caesar.

Hoplomachi (heavily armed) or Samnite: Fully armoured, and based on Ancient Greek hoplite soldiers. They wore helmets with griffin crests, woollen quilted leg wrappings, and shin-guards. They carried a spear with a small round shield. They were paired against Murmillones or Thraces.

Laquerii : Laqueatores used a rope and noose.

Saggitarii : Mounted bowman armed with reflex bows capable of propelling an arrow a great distance.

Secutores : Had the same armour as a murmillo, including oblong shield and a gladius. They were the usual opponents of retiarii.

Scissores (carvers): Little is known about this ominous sounding gladiator except that he was equipped like the Secutor. A smooth helmet, manica (armguard) and body armour (chain mail, breast plate, scale).

Thraces : The Thracian was equipped with a broad-rimmed helmet that enclosed the entire head, a small round or square-shaped shield, and two thigh-length greaves. His weapon was the Thracian curved sword, or the sica. They commonly fought murmillones or hoplomachi.

Velites : Fought on foot, each holding a spear with attached thong in strap for throwing. Their name comes from the early Republican army units of the same name.