Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome

How do we know so much about the Romans?

Archaeologists have discovered many remains of Roman towns, which are valuable discoveries . It tells us how the Roman lived. There are still remains of important buildings in the centre of the city. But the most extensive remains of a Roman settlement were found at Pompeii and Herculaneum in southern Italy.

Pompeii and Herculaneum

In 79 A.D the Volcano Vesuvius erupted, burying the town of Pompeii under a layer of ash and pumice. Herculaneum, a town nearby was covered by lava and mud. Because of the ash and mud preserving objects, Pompeii and Herculaneum remain in good condition to this day.

                  

Life in Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a Huge city, with over a million people living there by 300 A.D, making it the largest city in the world. It was a city of poor and rich. There were different classes within the Roman society. Freeborn men and women are known as citizens. Citizens had the right to vote, find work and travel places. But not all citizens were equal. They were divided into two main groups: The Patricians {rich citizens} and The Plebeians {poor citizens}. The slaves were at the bottom of the social scale. A Patricians wealth was often shown by the number of slaves he owned. Slaves were not free and had to wear an identity tag with their masters name on it, just in case they tried to escape.

People in history

Life of a Patrician

Roman citizens were divided into two classes, Plebeians and Patricians.

The Patrician were the upper class. They were the wealthy land owners. Everyone else was considered a plebeian. The Patricians were the ruling class of the early Roman Empire. Only certain families were part of the patrician class and you had to be born a Patrician. The Patricians were only a small percentage of the Roman population, but they all held power.

Life of a plebeian 

                             

People in history

Life of a slave

Slavery was an important part of Roman life. They had no rights and were completely at the mercy of their owners. Many people become slaves in different ways, captured in battles, bought and sold or sometimes criminals were sentenced to a life of slavery as a punishment. Many others became slaves simply because they were born to slave parents. Both men and women were sold as slaves and young boys were the most expensive slaves to buy. Some slaves were well educated and they could be used to teach children of the house. Depending on their skills, slaves could be trusted as child carers, teachers, cooks or doctors. Women slaves would be used as hairdressers, dressmakers, cooks and servants for rich women. Other slaves worked in small workshops making leather or silver goods or pots and pans. It was also quite common for some masters to state in their will that their slave should be set free upon their death. A special ceremony called manumission was held to mark the freedom of a slave. Slaves were set free by being touched with a special stick called a vindicta. They also wore a strange looking straw cap, The cap of liberty, as a sign of their freedom.