If you lived in ancient Rome ...: what was life like for kids in ancient Rome? JS travels back in time to find out.How did kids in ancient Rome Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. live? Two young Romans, Lucia and Marcus *, will serve as our guides as we travel back in time. The teens lived almost 2,000 years ago, when 50 million people inhabited the Roman Empire. The empire was so vast that it stretched over 30 modern-day countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Our visit begins in the heart of Rome, in the year 80 A.D. Emperor Titus, who is known as a generous leader, rules over the land. It is morning, but the streets are already crowded and noisy, as people make their way to work and school. Many walk, but some are carried by slaves. Two of four men balance poles on their shoulders as they ferry people sitting on curtained couches. At one corner, women shop for fruits at the market, while soldiers in leather armor share a laugh. From School to a Trade Marcus is a plebeian plebeian (Latin, plebs) Member of the general citizenry, as opposed to the patrician class, in the ancient Roman republic. Plebeians were originally excluded from the Senate and from all public offices except military tribune, and they were forbidden to marry patricians. , a member of Rome's working class. He lives with his parents in a small apartment in the city. As Marcus takes his seat at school, he tells himself that he will not misbehave mis·be·have v. mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing, mis·be·haves v.intr. To behave badly. v.tr. today. Yesterday, he got whipped for not paying attention Noun 1. paying attention - paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people); "his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences" attentiveness, heed, regard . Marcus studies hard to master reading, writing, and arithmetic. His lessons are in Latin, the language of Rome. His parents must work hard to send him to a privately run school, since the government does not pay for education in Rome. In a few months, the wealthy kids in class will go on to higher education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. , but not Marcus. He must help support his family, so he will learn a trade. Marcus will become a stonemason, like his father. He will learn to cut and decorate large stones used to construct buildings and bridges. It takes a lot of skill to chisel chisel Cutting tool with a sharpened edge at the end of a metal blade, used (often by driving with a mallet or hammer) in dressing, shaping, or working a solid material such as wood, stone, or metal. each stone the right way, so Marcus will have to train for several years. He won't have much time to play chess of marbles like other kids his age. But the work he does will help create the architecture for which Rome wilt become famous. A Traditional Banquet A few miles outside the city, Lucia finishes Latin lessons with her home tutor. Lucia is excited about the banquet her parents will host this evening. Lucia is an aristocrat. She and her family live in a huge stone mansion. Her father is a Senator, and he often throws parties to entertain fellow politicians. At the party, Lucia will wear a simple, loose-fitting dress over her tunic tu·nic n. A coat or layer enveloping an organ or a part; tunica. tunic a covering or coat. See also tunica. abdominal tunic see tunica flava abdominis. . (Roman tunics were long woolen wool·en also wool·len adj. 1. Made or consisting of wool. 2. Of or relating to the production or marketing of woolen goods. n. Fabric or clothing made from wool. Often used in the plural. of linen clothing that resembled today's short-sleeve T-shirts.) As the banquet hour approaches, she straightens one of the three couches that are set up around a long table for guests to lounge on. Soon, the guests begin to arrive. They also wear formal clothing over their tunics. The men wear white woolen togas. (These were the equivalent of today's suit.) Lucia smiles and compliments the women on their beautiful dresses, jewelry, and crowns. Slaves come from the kitchen with food arrayed on silver platters. Lucia chooses a little bit of almost everything from the buffet: eggs, olives, grapes, mushrooms, cheese, nuts, snails, and pork. She decides to pass on the flamingo flamingo, common name for a large pink or red wading bird, similar to the related heron, stork, and spoonbill but with a longer neck, webbed feet, and a unique down-bent bill. Flamingos are tropical birds, although large colonies have been observed high in the Andes. meat. Everyone eats with their hands or with spoons. (Forks were invented a few centuries later.) They drink wine mixed with water that one of the slaves has brought in from the public fountain. Some of the guests excuse themselves so they can go throw up their food to make room for more. No one finds this disgusting or upsetting, because it's normal behavior for wealthy Romans. Favorite Pastimes On religious holidays, Marcus and his family join the lively crowds attending public games. Marcus loves to see the chariot races, the most popular form of Roman entertainment. Last month, he crammed into the Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for greatest circus, in Italian Circo Massimo) is an ancient hippodrome and mass entertainment venue located in Rome. with nearly 300,000 other people. (In ancient Rome, a circus was a large circular arena used for races and other sporting contests.) Marcus cheered with the crowd as the chariots, each pulled by four horses, raced around the track. Until he lost his voice, he rooted for green, his favorite team's color. In a few days, Marcus and his father will attend a gladiator gladiator (Latin; swordsman) Professional combatant in ancient Rome who engaged in fights to the death as sport. Gladiators originally performed at Etruscan funerals, the intent being to give the dead man armed attendants in the next world. fight at the Colosseum Colosseum or Coliseum (both: kŏləsē`əm), Ital. Colosseo, common name of the Flavian Amphitheater in Rome, near the southeast end of the Forum, between the Palatine and Esquiline hills. , in honor of the god Jupiter. Sometimes two gladiators gladiators [Lat.,=swordsmen], in ancient Rome, class of professional fighters, who performed for exhibition. Gladiatorial combats usually took place in amphitheaters. They probably were introduced from Etruria and originally were funeral games. fight to the death. At other times, the Emperor or a Senator decides the fate of the gladiators. After the games, animals are often sent into the arena. Marcus remembers seeing a lion and a bear chained to each other. The two animals pulled on the chains as far as they could go, swatting at each other with their sharp claws. The lion finally sank his teeth into the bear. Marcus covered his eyes as blood squirted from the bear's nose. But, along with the crowd, he screamed for more. Spiritual Beliefs Like many Romans, Lucia's family has a shrine to the gods in their home. Lucia worships the gods every day by offering them incense, wine, and food. Romans pray to different gods for different things. Lucia prays to Venus for love, and to Mars for success in war. She does this so her brother, who is in the Roman army, may one day return victorious. Whenever something goes wrong in her life, like last week when she hurt her knee, Lucia believes that the gods are angry with her. She is hoping that this week the gods will favor her and help her get good grades on the exams given by her tutor. Lucia's mother is very superstitious su·per·sti·tious adj. 1. Inclined to believe in superstition. 2. Of, characterized by, or proceeding from superstition. su . She believes that owls are a sign of upcoming disaster, and bees a symbol of good luck. The belief in gods will change over the next two centuries as Christianity and monotheism monotheism (mŏn`əthēĭzəm) [Gr.,=belief in one God], in religion, a belief in one personal god. In practice, monotheistic religion tends to stress the existence of one personal god that unifies the universe. are introduced to Rome, then later spread throughout the empire by the Emperor Constantine (312 to 337 A.D.). The regions of Rome will begin to break away, many forming their own countries. With that, life as Lucia and Marcus know it will disappear. Barbarian tribes will attack the borders of the empire, which will crumble around the year 476. After 1,200 years of rule, the Roman Empire will finally come to an end. Words to Know * aristocrat: a member of the ruling class. * monotheism: the belief in only one God. Think About It 1. Was anything about Roman life similar to the world you live in today? Explain. 2. Not everyone in Roman times loved the public gladiator matches. In the 1st century A.D., a philosopher named Seneca the Younger Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca, or Seneca the Younger) (ca. 4 BC–AD 65) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. wrote: "There is nothing more harmful to one's character than going to these shows.... When I come home from one, I find that I am greedier and more aggressive.... I am more cruel." Are there movies or sports events today that evoke the same response from you? Explain. * Objectives Students should be able to: * recognize differences and similarities between their own lives and those of kids living in Rome nearly two millennia ago. * be able to describe how wealthy and working-class Romans lived. * Background Most gladiatorial glad·i·a·tor n. 1. A person, usually a professional combatant, a captive, or a slave, trained to entertain the public by engaging in mortal combat with another person or a wild animal in the ancient Roman arena. 2. contests did not end in death. When a gladiator fell to the ground, incapable of fighting anymore, the crowd would yell either mitte (Let him go!) or iugula (Kill him!). Most scholars believe that thumbs turned sideways meant iugula. Thumbs in, or pressed against the forefinger forefinger /fore·fin·ger/ (-fing-ger) index finger; the second finger, counting the thumb as first. fore·fin·ger n. See index finger. , meant mitte. People also waved handkerchiefs to signify mercy. There is no evidence of a thumbs-down gesture. (Only in the sword-and-sandal epics of Hollywood does that mean death.) * Critical Thinking MAKING INFERENCES: Which pastimes of ancient Rome would be frowned upon today, and why? (Animal and gladiator fights would certainly be looked down on, or even outlawed. Such practices are considered cruel by modern society. Other answers likely.) COMPARING AND CONTRASTING: The work of ancient Rome's stonemasons survive in that city's buildings and monuments more than 2,000 years later. Could anything made today last that long? Explain. (Answers will vary.) * Activity WORD UP! Much of what we say and how we say it today comes down to us from ancient Rome. The English, French, and Spanish languages are deeply rooted in Latin. Have students find everyday words with Latin roots, then compare lists. STANDARD SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * Culture/Time, continuity, and change: The daily lives of ancient Romans This an alphabetical List of ancient Romans. These include citizens of ancient Rome remembered in history for some reason. Note that some persons may be listed multiple times, once for each part of the name. had striking similarities to and differences from ours. RESOURCES * Connolly, Peter, Ancient Rome (Oxford University Press, USA, 2001). Grades 4-7. * Watkins, Richard Ross, Gladiator (Houghton Mifflin Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational publisher in the United States. The company's headquarters is located in Boston's Back Bay. It publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers , 1997). Grades 6-9. WEB SITES * Ancient Rome/Kidipede historyforkids.org/learn/romans * Video: Trajan's Market Trajan's Market (Mercatus Traiani) is a large complex of ruins in the city of Rome, located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, at the opposite end to the Colosseum. The buildings and structures present a living model of life in the Roman capital and a glimpse at the history.com/media.do?id=rome_trajan_marketbroadband&action=clip * Write the letter of the correct answer on the line before each question. --16. Which of the following was not part of the Roman empire? A. Africa B. Asia C. Australia D. Europe --17. Stonemasons were part of which level of Roman society? A. aristocrats B. emperors C. plebeians plebeians: see plebs. D. soldiers --18. In ancient Rome, what was a circus? A. curtained couches on poles B. circular sporting arena C. circular tent for acrobats D. shrine to the gods 19. Which of the following would have been abnormal at a Roman aristocrat's dinner party? A. eating with one's hands B. lounging on a couch C. throwing up D. using a knife and fork --20. What was the name of the Roman Emperor who helped spread Christianity through the empire? A. Constantine B. Marcus C. Titus D. Venus 16. C 17. C 18. B 19. D 20. A |
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