Ancient Rome Lifestyle Introduction



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Ancient Rome Lifestyle

  1. Introduction

_The Romans encompassed thousands of different cultures and comprised of diverse social, religious, ethnic and economic classes. Learning about Ancient Rome time is like walking in the past, experience it and get to know more about it to reflect how it have been impacted to the modern world. Today, the Rome City is very trendy and beautiful. Ancient Rome lifestyle can be described by it Family lifestyle, Clothes, Food, Entertainment, War/Battles, Surviving…

  1. Family

_ The ruler of the family was the oldest male. That could be the father, the grandfather, or perhaps even an uncle. Ancient Rome was a man’s world. In politics, society and the family, men held both the power and the purse-strings. They even decided whether a baby would live or die. His title was pater familias. The pater familias led religious ceremonies and taught his sons how to farm. Even when his children became adults, he was still the boss. But, he was also responsible for the actions of any members of his household. If anyone in his household committed a crime, he could be punished for something his family did.

_ Children were trained to obey their elders and be loyal citizens. You couldn’t talk back. If you talked back, you could find yourself out the door. You could try to go to a friend’s house, but the odds were good that they would not take you in.

_ A women’s job was to take care of the house and to have children. Mothers taught their children to read and write. She taught her daughter to cook, to sew and care for the family. Women could leave the home to shop or see a play or even to visit a temple. Women who could afford it used slaves to shop and cook. Wealthy women could leave the house, but spent a large part of their day on personal grooming-styling their hair and dressing ornately.

_ Some families kept slaves. Slaves were treated well, in most cases, because they were property. They had food to eat, jobs to do and clothes to wear. But they were not free to look for a better family. They were slaves. They were owned.



  1. Entertainment

_ Entertainment was essential to daily life in Ancient Rome. As noted by Juvenal, it seemed that all Romans were interested in was “bread and circuses.” And with theatres, amphitheatres, circuses and public baths galore, the Romans never seemed to get bored.

  • Public baths: In the time of the Roman Empire, the baths were a place of leisure time during many Romans daily routine. People from nearly every class, men, women and children could attend the public baths, similar to modern day fitness clubs and community centers. Not only for the baths meant for leisure, but also, for social gathering. In addition the bathing areas could be found in portico shops, marketing everything from food, to ointments, to clothing. There were also sheltered gardens and promenades, gymnasiums, rooms for massage, libraries and museums.




  • Circuses: Chariot racing was Rome’s oldest and most popular pastime, dating back to at least the Roman monarchy. Greek chariot races were held in hippodromes in the east, but in the west they were held in circuses. Other events eventually infiltrated the circus games (ludi circenses), such as Greek athletics and wresting, but chariot racing remained the popular favourite. As a sport, it was highly expensive, but organized into a highly profitable business. If successful, a charioteer could become rich and famous throughout Rome. Images of charioteers survive in sculpture, mosaic, and molded glassware, sometimes even with inscribed names. The factions rivaled greatly, sometimes leading to violence among supporters.



  • Theatres: All actors in Roman plays were male slaves. Men played the parts of women. The typical stock characters included the rich man, the king, the soldier, the slave, the young man and the young woman. If necessary, an actor would play two or more roles in a single performance. The most notable part of an actor’s regalia was probably his mask. While different masks and wigs were used for comedies than tragedies, certain characteristics remained constant. Gray wigs represented old men, black for young men, and red for slaves. Young men donned brightly colored clothing, while old men wore white. In this manner the characters could be easily identified by the audience. Admission to the Roman plays was free for citizens. Originally, women were barred from viewing comedies and were only admitted to tragedies, but later, no such restrictions were imposed.




  1. Food

There was various preservation methods used to preserve food in the Roman Empire. Some of the methods used were smoking, drying and salting. This was done by either applying dry, granular salt or by immersing the food in brine. Additionally, honey was used as a preserving agent for fruits, in order to preserve milk, the Romans started making cheese. The Roman social status was also reflected by their eating habits. It was believed that “You eat what you are.” The most important Roman crop was wheat, which was either taken in the form of bread or porridge. Olives and grapes were important constituents of meal as well. Olive oil was used extensively in cooking and for other purposes, such as fuel for lamps, perfume and body oils. Grapes were used to prepare wine that nearly all Romans drank or mixed with honey at every meal. The remains of grapes left after the processing of wine were used as preservatives for foods. Meat was also sparingly used in their meals. The daily routine meals for majority of the Roman population consisted of three meals, the first two being light. The first meal, breakfast, called as ientaculum, could comprise of bread dipped in watered down wine, honey, olives or dates. Next meal, lunch, called prandium, consisted of bread, fruit or cheese. Some skipped this as well. The main meal of the day was dinner or cena. It was usually served in late afternoon. It consisted of vegetables cooked in olive oil for the lower class or a several course meal of the upper classes. In the cities, grain prices were subsidized, and were even given free to the poor on a monthly basis, which was barely enough to feed the household male. The poor did not have the basic cooking facilities at home and had to go to the local baker, or pistor, to get wheat cooked. On the other hand, the rich had lavish meals that portrayed their social status.


  1. Conclusion

_ I have stepped into the past to find out about Ancient Rome. Now I know more about the Romans culture and lifestyle of living. These information have impacted the modern world today by entertainment, it have been developed so much after Ancient Rome time. Now we have music, color film picture… Family rules have given more too. These are all facts.









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