Ancient Rome: Key Points and Highlights

Overview

• Ancient Rome spans from 753 BC to 476 AD.
• At its height, the Roman Empire ruled over 45 million people, conquering most of Europe, including Spain, France, and England.

Social Structure

• Patricians:

  • Wealthy Romans referred to as patricians.
  • Lived in a 'domus' in the city or a villa in the countryside.
  • Homes often featured underfloor heating called a 'hypocaust'.
  • Ate meals called 'Cena' with unusual foods like crows, swans, peacocks, and roses.
  • Children attended 'ludus' from ages 7 to 11 and grammar school from 12 to 16.

• Plebeians:

  • Non-patricians known as plebeians.
  • Lived in 'insulae', high-rise wooden apartment blocks.
  • Received free grain called 'dole'; 200,000 people were beneficiaries.
  • Due to fire hazards, they often obtained food from 'thermopolia', ancient takeaways.

Clothing

• Romans wore a tunic 'tunica'.
• Men wore togas over their tunics.
• Women wore stolas over their tunics.
• Children wore a lucky necklace called a 'bulla'.

Entertainment

• Daily visits to public baths were common, featuring rooms of varying temperatures:
  • Caldarium: Hot room
  • Frigidarium: Cold room
  • Tepidarium: Warm room
  • Included exercise facilities.
• Popular sports included chariot racing at Circus Maximus and gladiator games at amphitheaters like the Coliseum.

Religion

• Polytheistic beliefs with gods like Mars (war) and Venus (love).
• Temples such as the Pantheon were built for worship.
• Emperor Constantine converted Rome to Christianity in 312 AD.

Slavery

• One-third of the population were slaves, either captured in battle or born into slavery.
• Treatment varied; owners had power over life and death.
• Some slaves gained freedom through 'manumission'.
• Notable slave revolt led by Spartacus, ultimately defeated with 6,000 rebels crucified.

Legacy

• Influences seen in modern architecture and infrastructure:
  • Hypocausts: Early underfloor heating.
  • Extensive road and aqueduct systems, some still in use.
• Early form of social welfare with the distribution of grain.
• Adoption of Christianity as the state religion; Rome remains the seat of the Catholic Church.
• Roman numerals and Latin-based languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese) continue to impact the modern world.