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If you were born in Ancient Rome: what would your life be like?
In the history of mankind there have been many ancient civilizations that in one way or another shaped our current way of life.
One of these civilizations was Ancient Rome – the majestic state of antiquity, whose solid foundation has been preserved to this day. But despite all the greatness of the empire, the life of an ordinary citizen in Ancient Rome was difficult.
Historians suggest imagining a time traveler who returned to the past somewhere between 27 BC. and 180 AD – the golden age of Ancient Rome. This era began with the rise to power of Emperor Augustus after the assassination of his father, the famous Julius Caesar.
This is what a public toilet looked like in ancient Rome. Credit: JSTOR Daily
Life was not easy for the Romans
With the arrival of the new emperor, a period of rapid development began in Rome. At its peak it became home to a million people. It was truly a golden era of architecture, science, art, entertainment and economic growth. It was a time of peace and prosperity. If you were rich, of course.
If you were not part of the 1% elite that controlled 16% of Rome’s wealth, then your life would not be easy. Up to 50% of all Roman children died before the age of 10. Most adult Romans, at best, lived to be 50 years old.
Despite the reigning peace, local conflicts still occurred, so the military profession was in demand in Ancient Rome. The Roman armies at that time consisted of volunteers who were looking for a chance for a better life.
Soldiers came from the poorest strata of society and spent most of their service on the borders of the empire, where the situation was unstable. After retirement from military service, the Romans could settle on the land where they served.
If a soldier was particularly good at wielding a sword or bow, he could be selected to join the special troops that protected the emperor. There was also the opportunity to become a gladiator, who were treated as celebrities in ancient Rome, at least those who survived.
Since the overwhelming majority of men were away from home, women gained more independence during that period. Roman women took on important functions as city councilors, lawyers, teachers, and so on.
The daily life of a Roman. Credit: Planet Pompeii
However, men in the family still had the privilege of deciding matters of property and finances. Most of the poor lived in cheap wooden houses. Many of them were located in urban slums, where crime flourished. In some areas, the streets were patrolled by the so-called urban cohorts (Cohortes Urbanae) of Emperor Augustus. But the poorest areas still remained dangerous.
Soldiers, philosophers or senators, for the most part, ate approximately the same. The daily diet of the Romans included bread, cheese, grapes, nuts, olives and meat.
Depending on their income, residents of Ancient Rome could buy bread from numerous bakeries and wash down their meals with milk, diluted wine or fruit juice.
Wealthy Romans went to the bathhouse after lunch, where they could not only take a steam bath, but also play sports, swim, go for a massage, or simply wash themselves. After water treatments, around 4-5 o’clock in the afternoon, the Romans sat down to dinner.
The rest of the Romans, who were born poor, served in the homes of rich families. Such hired workers in Rome were called clients; they were free citizens who surrendered under the patronage of their patron. Sometimes this system even made it possible to sell people.
Clients performed a variety of jobs, from hard labor to highly skilled professions such as teachers, accountants and so on. If the patrons were kind, the clients were provided with a good meal and returned home with food for the family. For truly outstanding work, clients could even be made truly free.
But more often it happened that desperate poor families sold their own children to patrons.
Fight of gladiators
Daily life of the ancient Romans
There were also great oddities in the daily life of the Romans. For example, to relieve yourself, you had to go to a public toilet, which had more than 10 open-air seats. Instead of toilet paper, the Romans had a stick with a sponge on the end, which they shared when necessary.
When it came time to clean up the house, many Romans considered urine the best disinfectant. Moreover, both human and animal urine were used. It was also used to wash clothes and treat infections.
This may seem strange, but it is true: The urea in urine breaks down into ammonia (NH3), a powerful cleaning agent found in most household cleaning fluids today.
And in cases of epilepsy in Ancient Rome, they could prescribe the blood or liver of a gladiator.
If the Romans had even a little money in their wallets, they could go shopping at Trajan’s Market, the world’s first shopping center. For thrills – go to chariot races at the Circus Maximus or to a gladiator fight. There were also a huge number of theaters, and for the poorest – many public executions.
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