Table of Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Welcome to Ancient Rome xi
The History of Rome: The Basics xiii
What is Rome like in 95 CE? xxvi
Chapter 1 Social Structure 1
What is the social structure in ancient Rome? 1
Senatorial Rank 2
Equestrians 4
How rich is rich? 5
Freedmen 6
Slaves and Women 7
Infamia 8
What else do I need to know about Roman social classes? 8
What's the difference between a citizen and a non-citizen? 9
Are there any conflicts between Roman social classes? Do those at the bottom ever rebel? 9
What are the duties of a client? 10
How does a client benefit? 10
Amicitia 11
Chapter 2 Family 12
What does a Roman family look like, and how is it different to modern families? 13
What kind of powers does the pater familias have? 13
What is the situation for women in Ancient Rome? 17
How to survive being a woman in Ancient Rome 18
How are slaves treated? 20
Will I own a slave? 21
What about children? 21
How are children educated? 23
What if I don't want children, how can I prevent having them? 23
Did the Romans have pets? Axe they considered part of the family too? 24
Chapter 3 Clothing 25
What kinds of clothes would I wear? 25
Men 25
Women 29
My Beauty Routine: Hortensia 32
What do children wear? 33
How will I wash my clothes? 34
Chapter 4 Accommodation 35
What sort of accommodation does Rome offer? 35
What should I consider when choosing an apartment? 35
Fire and building collapses 36
What are the homes of the rich like? 37
The emperor's holiday house 42
Chapter 5 Shopping 43
Where can I buy food and other items? 43
Best buys 46
Buying slaves 47
Chapter 6 Food and Diet 49
What kind of food did the Romans have access to? 49
Apicius' Cookbook 50
What did the poor eat? 52
What do wealthy Romans eat? 53
How to secure a dinner party invitation 53
What should I expect at a dinner party? 54
What kind of food will be served? 55
What kinds of entertainments do dinner party hosts treat their guests to? 56
What makes a bad dinner party? 56
What do Romans drink? 57
Chapter 7 Entertainment 58
Will I get much leisure time? 58
The Games 58
The Flavian Amphitheatre 59
What can I expect to see at the Games? 60
Chariot Racing 62
The Charioteering Emperor 63
Theatre 64
Gambling 64
The Baths 64
Where can I find a bathhouse? 65
What should I expect when I go to the baths? 65
Anything I need to be aware of when going to the baths? 66
Chapter 8 Health and Medicine 67
What diseases would I be most vulnerable to? 67
Imperial illnesses 68
Is there anything I can do to prevent illnesses? 70
What should I do if I do fall ill? 72
What to look for in a doctor 72
What to expect from a trip to the doctors 73
If I fall ill, what treatment will my doctor prescribe? 74
Eating your way to health 75
What about pain relief if I get sick? Is there anything I can take to relieve it? 75
Chapter 9 Work 77
What kinds of jobs are available in Ancient Rome? 77
Being Nero 77
Court poet 78
Being an oddity 80
Legacy hunter 81
Do women work? What types of jobs do they do? 82
Chapter 10 Warfare 85
Who can join the army? 85
What are the benefits of enlisting in the army? 85
What are the downsides of enlisting in the army? 86
How much fighting will I do? 88
How do Romans fight? 89
Punishment 92
Chapter 11 Religion and Beliefs 94
What is the religion of Rome? 94
What gods are available to worship? 94
That's rather a lot of gods, where shall I start? 96
The imperial cult 96
How do I go about pleasing the gods? 97
How do I know if the gods are unhappy? 98
Are there any specific religious holidays? 100
Festivals worth attending 101
Are there any other religions in Rome? 103
Death of a vestal 104
Chapter 12 Law and Order 106
How likely am I to be a victim of crime? 106
How is Rome policed? 106
What should I do if I am the victim of a crime? 107
Upsetting the emperor 108
How do I make sure the guilty is suitably punished? 110
What kinds of punishments are available for those found guilty of a crime? 110
Punishments for the elite 112
Chapter 13 Politics 114
How can I be involved in politics? 114
How do I vote? 115
If I don't have a vote can I still be involved in politics? 116
If I'm unhappy with an official what can I do about it? 117
Political violence 117
Acknowledgments 119
Notes 120
Bibliography 136
Index 138
