Ancient Romans didn’t ride cars to go to work, school or even shopping? S how was life look like back then? Come and check our five remarkable facts about Roman daily life.
The Romans enjoyed being entertained in various different ways. One way Romans spent their spare time was by going to chariot races or theatres. The Circus Maximus was the main arena for chariot races.
A chariot race consisted of 12 chariots with 4 horses each. The chariots used were very light and only had room to fit one person standing up. A chariot racer had to complete seven laps of the stadium in order to finish the race.
The Circus Maximus was the largest stadium in Rome and it could hold over 200,000 spectators. Gladiator fights at the Colosseum were also hugely popular.
Lower-class Romans would have mainly worked on a farm or would have made money from a trade. Craftsmen were trained in a specific craft, which was usually learnt from their fathers.
They would have worked in their own craft shop selling their crafts for income. Slaves and those in teh poorer class would have worked in bigger workshops. Romans who lived in the countryside with land would have typically been farmers.
The most common crop that farmers would have grown was wheat as the Romans ate a lot of porridge and bread. Farmers would grow their crops and tend to their cattle and then sell them to earn money.
The cena was the main meal of the day for the Romans and for Romans who lived in a domus, the main meal would be eaten in the triclinium, the dining room.
Dinner parties would have been hosted in this room and the meal could last for a few hours. Romans ate meat such as chicken, lamb, beef and fish during the cena. Wealthy Romans would even have delicacies such as dormice during the cena!.
Wealthy Romans often had entertainment at their dinner parties including dancers, poets, and musicians. The cena wouldn’t have been as extravagant for plebians, the lower class.
During Ancient Roman times, women would have run the household and raised the children. She would also be in charge of managing the household finances. Roman women had no rights but they played huge parts in their home and were held in high respect in society.
Women in wealthy families would have had much more freedom and could even own property. They were also able to hire slaves to do their housework so they had free time to enjoy. Women with little money would have to teach their children how to read and write and prepare their daughters for marriage.
After work and school ended most Romans would make their way to the baths. The fee to the baths was small so most Romans could afford to go.
The baths were a place for bathing, relaxing, exercising and socialising. Most Roman Baths included gardens, gymnasiums and libraries. Even wealthy Romans, who would have owned their own bath, would gather at the baths, just to socialise with friends.
Leave a Reply