Mikayla Burmania Burmania 1

Mrs. Knox

END 1D1-01

18 December 2014

Life and times in Ancient Rome

Ancient civilizations developed their own unique culture depending on their geographical location, their political order and their own structure of family life. The advancement and development of ancient cultures was possible due to their political and cultural impact in the world. The manner in which a Roman citizen lived in Ancient Rome depended on their economic income, social status and gender. By examining the home life, the education and the entertainment of the people in Ancient Rome, one gains knowledge and appreciation of the life and times of the Ancient Rome culture. In Ancient Rome one’s home life depended on his or her economic or social class in Roman society and home life activities varied greatly depending on social class. It affected their daily meal and the houses in which they lived. It is important to note that “The menu or housing was different according to the income of a family” (“Homelife”). Wealthier Romans would have three courses as a part of their daily dinnertime meal. Their main course would typically be cooked vegetables and meat. However the meal of a lower class Roman was much simpler; their dinnertime meal would consist of porridge or bread. They only bought meat and vegetables when they had enough money. Therefore, A Romans meal depended on their income. The type and quality of education one received in Roman times was determined by one’s social class and gender. Compared to girls, boys were given a greater opportunity to receive a higher-level education. For example, “Only sons of rich families went on to the highest level of education, while only rich daughters received an education at home.” (Connolly 9). In Roman schools boys learned to read and write, do arithmetic attended went to grammar school and learned
Burmania 2
Greek and Latin. The highest level of education was rhetoric. Rhetoric is the ability to use language effectively. This was an important skill to acquire for the pursuit of certain careers such as law, politics, army commanders or administrator. The boys of wealthy families received their education from private tutors, while boys of poor families were instructed in primary schools. Most girls did not go to school, they learned how to run a household, how to run a kitchen and how to be a good wife for when they got married. The extent of their education included music, sewing and learning about the Roman culture, which would later pan on to their children. Despite the obvious inequality between the genders, women had an important role in Roman society. The citizens of Ancient Rome enjoyed many different forms of entertainment