The Roman House
Early Italian houses grouped around the atrium, with a small garden, the so-called hortus, at the back.The classic Roman house, however, was divided into two parts. The first part grouped …
Household Sex
In a Roman household sex was in plentiful supply. Except, so it seems, between the actual married couples. The existence of slaves in the house naturally mean that, particularly the …
Conjugal Love
Love was irrelevant to the success of a marriage in Roman eyes. Marriage was there in order to provide children. Loved was a welcome thing, but by no means necessary. …
The Roman Games
There were two kinds of roman games: ludi scaenici and ludi circenses. If at first the games of the early Roman republic had religious significance, then later the ‘secular’ games …
Roman Dress
Roman clothing owed much to that of ancient Greece, but it had distinct forms of its own. In all the ancient world, first and foremost clothes needed to be simple. …
Obligations of Nobility
The civilization that was Rome had high demands on its people. The Roman citizen may have enjoyed rights and had room to follow his ambitions, but so too did he …
Roman Slaves, who were they and what did they do?
Roman slaves labored in the mines and in the empire’s many farms and potteries. The state’s public works were largely completed and maintained by slaves. Also, the government’s state bureaucracy …
Roman Offices & Politics
The Roman Office Positions OFFICE ELECTION BY RESPONSIBILITIES AFTER TERM OF OFFICE Consul(senior magistrate) Comitia Centuriata Can propose law,acts as senior judge,presides comitia centuriata,army commander,can jointly propose dictator provincial governor and …
Roman Society & Life
The Census In the beginning was the census. Every five years, each male Roman citizen had to register in Rome for the census. In this he had to declare his …
Christian Heresy
One of the primary problems of early Christianity was that of heresy. Heresy is generally defined as a departure from the traditional Christian beliefs; the creation of new ideas, rituals …
Country Festivals
As the Romans saw many natural thigns such as trees, rocks and other matters as possible hosts to spirits or bearers of some other religious significance, then the countryside bustled …
Religion in the Home
For Romans being civilized very much meant living in a home. If the saying states that ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’, then this very much also was true for …