DAILY LIFE
IN ANCIENT
ROME
If you traveled back in time to ancient Rome, you might be overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the growing city. For most Romans, a large part of the day was spent outside on the busy city streets. During the daytime, the narrow roads were crowded with carts, horses, oxen, and people from different parts of the Roman Empire.
As soon as the sun rose, people spilled out into the streets to escape their dark, cramped apartments. Most people lived inside large apartment buildings and slept in rooms that lacked windows and bathrooms. These apartments were very unsafe, and Romans lived in fear that a fire would break out or that parts of the building would collapse.
Wealthier Romans lived a more luxurious life in city houses called domus. Unlike apartments, the airy domus were filled with sunlight during the day. They were decorated with tiled floors, white columns, and brilliantly colored wall paintings. Much like houses today, they had separate rooms for cooking, dining, sleeping, and entertaining guests.
In the morning, Romans would eat a light breakfast and get dressed before setting out into the busy city. Most people wore a type of dress called a tunic with a tie or belt around their waist.
Men dressed in tunics that went to their mid-calves and women dressed in longer tunics with sleeves that went down to their ankles. By 27 BC, togas were worn only by men and usually only for special occasions. Most Romans found togas to be very uncomfortable because they were difficult to move around in and far too warm to wear in the summer.
After getting dressed, Romans were ready to go to work. Jobs were highly specialized in Rome. You could be a fashion designer for the wealthy, a bread baker, a cart driver, a sausage maker, or a hairdresser.
Not everyone in Rome was free to choose what job they did. Slaves made up a large part of the population and they worked without pay as construction workers, farm workers, house servants, and tutors for children.
In the late afternoon or early evening, Romans would have the largest meal of the day. So many people lived in Rome that food had to be transported into the city from other places to make sure that everyone got enough to eat. Common foods at this time included bread, figs, apples, cabbage, beets, olives, cheese, and beans. Meat was expensive so not everyone was able to eat it regularly. Romans that could afford meat, however, had access to every type of animal you could imagine. The most adventurous eaters might have tried songbirds, dormice, and even flamingos!
After a long morning at work, Romans ran over to the Colosseum or the Circus Maximus to see the next big event. They cheered as they watched a gladiator battle a lion or stood in anticipation to see who would win the chariot race in the Circus Maximus.
Following an afternoon filled with excitement, most Romans wanted to relax before heading back home. This meant a trip to the baths.
The public baths were located inside beautifully decorated buildings that had large pools of heated water. Romans would heat the water by pumping hot air under the stone floors of the building. People would go to the baths to chat with their friends, hear the latest gossip, eat, play games, read, and relax in the warm waters.
Overall, the ancient Romans had lives very similar to ours today. They went to work, enjoyed exciting entertainment, liked to relax, and went about their routines just as we do everyday. Even though we live thousands of years apart, it’s fun to know that the people of ancient Rome had lives very much like our own.