chapter 35 daily life in the roman empire. “all roads lead to rome” romans had built and...
Post on 15-Jan-2016
225 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 35
Daily Life in the Roman Empire
“All Roads Lead to Rome”
• Romans had built and extensive network of Roads.
• Expression became common throughout the Roman Empire.
Forum
• “gathering place”
• Originally was an open air market place in the center of Rome
• Over time numerous government buildings, plazas, reigious and other buildings built.
35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome
• City of great contrasts
• Over 1 million people in Rome
• Most people lived in tiny apartments
35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome
• Wealthy Romans
– women shopped at the forum with their slaves
– Wealthy Senators used body guards for protection
– Silks, perfumes, jeweled weapons, and musical instruments
– Homes with statues, fountains, and fine pottery
35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome
• Slaves:– Hundreds of thousands of slaves
• Escorted women in the forum• Forced to fight in gladiator games• Teachers and other skilled labored
• Soldiers and Craftsmen
• Foreigners– Britain, Spain, Europeans, Egypt, and the rest of the
empire
35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome
• City Life (Poor)
– Filthy neighborhoods
– Most children died by the age of 10
– “Bread and Circus”
• Most poor could not find jobs because slaves had taken them
• Given food and entertainment free by the government such as gladiator games and chariot races
35.2: Daily Life in Ancient Rome
• Rural or Country Living
– Most people lived in the countryside
– Most of the people in the countryside were poor
– Some small family farms
– Some worked on huge estates owned by the rich
35.3: Law and Order
• Rule of Law
– Law applies to everyone equally at all times
– The intent and spirit of the law must be maintained and applied
– Bedrock founding principle of the United States
35.3: Law and Order
• Senate and Assemblies created most laws in the Roman Republic
• Emperor was the final authority/source of law in the Roman Empire
– “whatever pleases the emperor is the law”
35.3: Law and Order
• Old time honored traditions were followed
– Senate continued to meet even in the empire
– Senators had many privileges because of their position
– Important senators had bodyguards
• Fasces
– Bundles of sticks with an axe in the center
– Symbol that government could use force, physical punishment, and strict enforcement of the law whenever necessary (martial law principle)
35.3: Law and Order
• Law Enforcement and Crime– Laws were strict
– Crime was common• Most common: Stealing, assault, and murder
– Rich neighborhoods protected
– Lack of protection in the poorer parts of town
– Some streets closed at night due to dangers
35.3: Law and Order
• Protection Against Crime:
– Rich wore old dirty togas when they traveled at night
– Wealthy women warned not to go out alone even during the daytime
35.3: Law and Order
• Criminal Proceedings/Trials
– All citizens could bring charges against another
– Jury of Roman citizens decided the case
• “jury of your peers (U.S.)
– family and personal appearance used to get sympathy
• Dress poorly
• Have children/wives cry before the jury
35.3: Law and Order
• Rule of Law– Belief that law should apply to everyone equally
– In realty, wealthy received special treatment under the law
– Poor people punished more harshly including torture
– Law stated torture could not be used against a Roman citizen
– Law was thrown out if the poor person were convicted by a fair trial• Used to find out who accomplices were and to ease the conscience
of the judges who issued the conviction• Common methods: Crucifixion, lashes,
– Salves testimony could only be used if obtained by torture
35.4: Religion• Adopted Greek gods and gods from other cultures to create a set of Roman
gods– Names of some planets came from Roman gods:
• Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars, Neptune
• Believed gods controlled daily life
• Offerings and promises– gifts of food, honey cakes and fruit
– sacrificed animals such as bulls, sheep, and oxen
– Left offering for the sick and injured sometimes in the form of the body part that was affected
• Festivals and Holidays
• Home altars by the family hearth or fireplace– goddess Vesta: Threw small cakes into the fire
• Emperors honored as gods– Caligula: built his own statue and had it clothed the same as himself everyday
• New religions accepted as long as it didn’t encourage disloyalty to the emperor:
– Christians would not recognize the emperor as god
35.4: Reading Notes
• 1. Answer the trivia question.– Romans would put a little clay foot by a statue at
a temple to remind the god which part of the body needed to be healed.
• 2. List two key differences between ancient Rome and modern times.– (1) Romans believed in Greek gods; people today
have different beliefs.
– (2) Romans honored the emperors as gods; we don’t honor our leaders as gods.
35.5: Family Life
• Paterfamilias
– Father of the family ruled the family
– Father’s decisions/words were the law at home
– Every child regardless of age or living at or away from home had to follow his orders
35.5: Family Life
• Men
– Expected to provide for the family
• Rich: high paying political positions
• Poor: men/women both worked
35.5: Family Life
• Households
– Rich women ran the household
• Bought and trained slaves
• Many ran businesses
• Bought and sold property
35.5: Family Life
• Babies:– Born at home
• Strong and healthy babies kept
• Weak or babies not meeting father’s approval were left outside to die
– Named in a special ceremony after 9 days and given a Bulla, or good luck charm, worn throughout childhood
35.5: Family Life
• Boys (14-18 years old)
– Ceremony between 14-18 years old to end childhood:
• Celebrated becoming a man by giving their bulla, toys, and clothes to the gods
35.5: Family Life
• Girls
– No ceremony to end childhood
– Married between ages 12-18
35.5: Family Life
• Weddings/Marriages– Held at a temple
– Bride wore white toga and long veil
– Groom wore white toga and leather shoes shined with animal fat
• New husband did not become the paterfamilias until his father died
35.6: Food and Drink• Rich had kitchens in the home
• Poor used small grills in the home
• Fast Food
– Both rich and poor bought ready made hot/cold food from the Thermopolia
• Diet
– Main foods were bread, beans, spices, some vegetables and meat, cheese, honey, and wine
– Breakfast: bread and bowl of beans or porridge (oatmeal)
– Lunch: cheese, bread, olives, and celery
– Dinner:• Poor: fish, asparagus, and figs
• Rich: special appetizers, mice cooked in honey, roasted parrots stuffed with dates, slated jellyfish, and snails dipped in milk
35.6: Food and Drink
• Roman Markets
– Wide variety
– Playful monkeys and birds to attract customers
– Fruits, live rabbits and chickens, geese, baskets of snails, various meats, and fish sauce
35.7: Housing• Rich:
– large open homes made from stone and marble
– Thick walls to keep out the noise
– Atrium• Inside the front door
• Used to welcome guests
• Small pool and opening in the ceiling kept it cool
– Dining Room• Fanciest room in the house
• Covered with pictures, murals, and tiled mosaics
• Statues in the corners and some with fountains in the center for cool drinking water
– Dinner Parties• Guests lay on couches
• Dinners prepared by slaves
• Music played by slaves on the flute, lyre and lute
35.7: Housing• Poor
– small dark crowded apartments made of wood
– Some lived in rooms above their shops
– Portable grills filled the apartments with smoke
– Cramped, noisy, and dirty
– Disease carrying rats spread sickness rapidly
– Fire was a constant danger
– 64 C.E./A.D. fire burned down most of the city
35.8: Education• Poor :
– went to work instead of school
– Learned trades such as leather and metal working to support the family
• Rich:
– Tutored by fathers or slaves
– Stopped by the breakfast bar on the way to school to buy beans, nuts, and bread to eat on the way to school
– Learned Greek, Latin, math, science, literature, music, and public speaking
– Girls: dentists, realtors, tutors, or midwives (nurses for childbirth)
– Boys: soldiers, doctors, politicians, and lawyers
• Most went to school until age 13 but some stayed until 16 then managed their own property
35.9: Recreation• Roman Baths
– Both poor and rich
– Bath, swim, exercise, steam, or massage
– Gardens, libraries, shops, and art galleries
• Rich:– Extra leisure time (slaves worked)
– Plays at the theater
– Musicals in the homes
• Poor:– “Bread and Circus” free public entertainment and food for the poor
provided by the emperor
– Chariot races and gladiator fights
– Attempt to keep them busy/out of trouble (lost jobs due to high number of slaves)
35.9: Recreation• Gladiator Games
– Held at the Colosseum
– Both men and women participated
– Slaves or prisoners of war fought each other and wild animals to the death
– Thousands died painfully for entertainment
– Men and women sat in different sections
35.9: Recreation• Circus Maximus
– Favorite entertainment of the Romans
– Huge racetrack held 200,000 people
– Gambled on chariot races
– Rich in the shade on cushions close to the track
– Poor in the sun on wooden benches away from the track
– Men and women sat together and it became a popular meeting place
35.10: Country Life• 90% lived out in the countryside
• Rich– Large villas to invest money in crops and livestock
– Came to relax during the summer months
– Checked on the work, read books, wrote, hunted, picnics, and long walks
• Poor– Had small family farms
– Many lost their jobs as they were replaced by slaves
– Soldiers lost farms when they went to war
– Lived in huts and life was hard
– Many moved to the city for the “Bread and Circus” provided by the emperor
• Slaves treated very harshly
• Large farms produced:– most of the food, for Rome and other cities
– Grain for bread, grapes for wine, olives for oil
– Goats and sheep for cheese and clothing
– Cattle and pigs for meat
– Bees for honey
top related