ROMAN LIFE IN A NUTSHELL

THE CENSUS

• Every 5 years every Roman man had to register for the Census
• The men had to declare their family, wife, children, slaves, and riches
• If a man didn't do this his possessions would be confiscated
• If a man wanted to free his slave he would only have to enter is name as a citizen at the census

THE FORUM

• Once was a muddy swamp
• Was built up and turned into a mall area
• The oldest Roman street, the Via Sacra was paved here
• Center of Roman life

SHOPS AND MARKETS

• With the growth of the Forum, the shops had to move elsewhere
• These older shops had to fight for buisness
• most of these shops were on the streets leading in and out of the Forum
• Some of the most popular shops were the vicus tuscus, the vicus iugarium, and the argiletum
• There were also different shops for different levels of people in the community.

THE SUBURBA

• This was the poorer part of Rome
• Very dangerous to strangers, there were many robbers
• Many slaves and prostitutes were located here
• It was not dangerous to all, even Julius Cesar lived here at one point
• The Suburba also had a large market for the poor mainly selling vegetables and chickens

A ROMANS IDENTITY AND HONOR

• Confirmation was very sought after and required
• No Roman could be their own judge, they only saw theselves on the eyes of others
• A "good" man was deemed worthy by others
• They looked outwards at others to understand themselves, not inwards on themselves

NOBILITY

• Nobility wasn't just given to an individual
• Nobility was built up or torn down by a family
• "Three fathers" was the required duration to establish nobility
• For a child to be noble, his father, grandfather, and great grandfather had to be

THE CLIENT SYSTEM

• A client was a loyal supporter to a high-standing Roman family
• Clients would serve their patron militarily or politically
• Patrons would help clients in court if needed
• If a client died, his son would then serve the patron.
• A patron could raise an army out of his clients

POPULARES AND OPTIMATES

• Populares was the "peoples party"
• Optimates was the "senatorial party"
• Populares wanted more citizenship
• Optimates wanted more traditional Roman rules

RULERS OF THE REPUBLIC

• Romans were notorious for wanting power
• Roman Magistrates' power was absolute
• Magistrates was the only branch of government

THE WORKING DAY

• A Roman would get up early and worl for 6 hours
• Men worked, women stayed home
• Trade of all sorts centered around Rome
• Sons followed in the footsteps of their fathers

INDUSTRY

• Latium was a main area for pottery and bronze-casting
• Construction of public works created jobs
• Roman imports exceeded their exports
• Produced luxury goods like precious metals

WOMEN

• Women stayed home and did house work
• Women had very similar education that boys did at a young age
• Most marriages were arranged
• Women had a more relaxed life

SLAVES

• Slavery was a very normal and accepted thing in Roman society
• Slaves labored in mines and on farms
• Many public works were completed by slaves
• Slaves served as teachers, librarians, scribes, artists, and entertainers

EDUCATION

• Education was completely in the hands of the parents
• Basic skills were taught, like counting
• Boys were largely taught by their fathers
• Girls were largely taught by their mothers

DRESS

• Most clothing was made of wool
• Their under garments was normally just a loin cloth
• The most basic garment was a tunic
• Only free Roman citizens could wear togas

FOOD AND DRINK

• Sweets were made from honey or grape juice
• They did not have sugar
• Most common foods were grain, fruit, and vegetables
• The most popular drink was wine

THE ARMY

• Army rations were almost all wheat
• They ate almost anything available
• Pork, chicken, cheese, fruits, and vegetables were common

THE POOR

• Depended on the corn dole to supply them with grain
• Grain was sold for half price to the poor
• In 58 BC it became completely free
• In 274 AD small rations of pork, salt, and oil were added

THE WEALTHY

• Their day began with "jentaculum" which means breakfast
• They ate bread, cheese, and fruits in the morning
• Lunch was called "prandium", it was a light meal
• Dinner was called "cena" it was the main meal, it could last for hours
• They had elaborate parties and dinner parties

LIQUAMEN

• Liquamen was a fish sauce produced in factories
• Fish entrails and small fish were mashed up to create this sauce
• This sauce provided variety in meals

HOLIDAYS AND GAMES

• There were 159 public holidays
• Gladiator fights and chariot races were held
• Many theatrical festivals were held
• They also held circus games

FAMILY

• Included everyone in the houshold
• When a great grandfather died, each grandfather would split their family=
• the oldest man had the most power in the family

THE GENS

• Could be described as a clan
• If a roman didn't have any heirs, all their money would be left to the gens

FUNERAL RITES

• Romans were laid in bare earth
• A close family member would kiss them before theu closed their eyes
• Women wahed the body
• Small coins were placed under their toungs
• Bodies were cremated or burried after the feuneral

THE ROMAN HOUSE

• Romans built sophisticated brick houses
• It was built for the people of southern Europe
• It had almost no windows
• They adopted a system of heating and circulating

ROMAN ADRESS

• In Rome some major streets had names but most didn't
• Finding people could be a serious problem
• Places were described wit landmarks like statues