Daily Life

If you are planning to go to Rome, I'm sure you would want to know how a daily life is for Romans. Firstly, there were many ways for Romans to have fun. Rich Romans had plenty of free time since the slaves did most of the work. But both rich and poor relaxed at Rome's public baths. At the Rome's public baths, you can bathe, socialize, swim, and exercise. The Roman emperors gave the poor plenty of what they called "bread and circuses" (food and entertainment) to keep the poor happy. Besides the many festivals, the rich and poor also enjoyed gladiator games and chariot races. Gladiator games were held in public areas like the Colosseum. Men and women both fought as gladiators. Usually gladiators were slaves or prisoners of war. If the crowd gave a "thumbs down" sign, they wanted the gladiator to be executed. But it they fought well, they would give there thumb back to their hand. Many thousands of gladiators died with pain for the entertainment of the crowd. The most favourite gathering place for the Romans was the Circus Maximus which was a large racetrack with enough room to hold 200,000 spectators. The wealthy citizens enjoyed seats on plush cushions close to the track while the poor sat on wooden benches further away from the track (at the top). Well that's all I have to say about having fun at Rome, let's talk about the food that Romans would eat on a regular basis. Homes with kitchens were only available to the poor. The poor cooked on small grills. Anyways, the main foods that people would eat at dinner were bread, beans, spices, few vegetables, cheese, and meats. They would drink water, hot water with herbs (tea), and wine. Romans also ate breakfast which consisted a piece of bread, a bowl of beans, or porridge, an oatmeal-like cereal made of grains (barely, wheat). And then lunch would include cheese, bread, olives, or celery. For dinner, poor Romans would eat simple foods while wealthier Romans ate much fancier meals. Their meals included mice cooked in honey, roasted parrots stuffed with dates, salted jellyfish, and snails dipped in milk. Now I will tell you life for women. An average Roman housewife normally left her home only to go shopping, to take a bath, or to visit her friends and relatives. Women did not count as someone in politics. She was not able to vote or to even be a witness in court unless she was a vestal. Divorce was in the early part of the Empire impossible, even if her husband dated another woman. Later, women were allowed to divorce without even giving a reason. The wedding day came fast for teenagers. The boy would have to be at least 14 and they girl at least 12, and they could not be closely related. Also, roman babies would be born at home. The Romans only kept the strong, healthy babies. If the father disapproved the newborn, it was left outside to die. The woman could not say anything against it. Let's talk about farm life in Rome now.  Romans didn't use machinery although they did have plows pulled by ox and cattle. Most farms were small but there were a few large estates called villas which were owned by the wealthy people. Most villas specialized in crops, then those crops were taken and sold (or traded) to get the other crops that were needed. The empire's farms produced grain, grapes, and olives. Animals such as goats and sheep provided milk for cheese and their skins/wool was used to make clothing. Cattle and pigs were also raised for their meat. Also poor teenagers would be forced to provide the labour that a rich teenager would have his slave do. And this is how daily life was for Romans.