Download Roman Daily Life

Roman Daily Life
Roman Citizens
• Only men were citizens
• At first, only people living in Rome could be citizens
• As the empire grew, people outside Rome could become
citizens.
• Every five years there was a census, an official counting
of the people of Rome, when men registered to claim
their citizenship.
• Men declared their families, slaves and wealth at census
time.
• If they didn’t register, they could lose their property or
even be sold into slavery.
• Romans were proud of Rome. It was the center of
religion, politics, culture, and engineering.
Roman Social Classes
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Few Romans were rich.
They lived in villas, large country estates outside the city
They owned large farms or trade businesses
Most Romans were poor.
They lived in poorly built apartments in the city.
Most poor Romans survived on grain given to them by the
government
Grain was often given out at the circus, an arena in Rome
When grain was scarce, people rioted.
To prevent riots, Roman emperors provided free entertainment
The Circus Maximus and the Colosseum were two famous arenas
Circuses had chariot races, gladiator fights, clowns, and public
executions.
Gladiators, people who fought to the death, often became celebrities
in Rome.
Roman Family Life
• Paterfamilias- Head of a Roman
household
• Paterfamilias could be the father,
grandfather , or great-grandfather
• Paterfamilias had absolute power over the
whole household
Slavery in Rome
• Almost every wealthy family owned slaves
• A third of Rome’s population were slaves
• Some slaves led comfortable lives working
in the houses of wealthy Romans
• Some slaves led short, hard lives working
on farms or in mines.
• Some slaves fought in the arena as
gladiators