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Articles on the culture, history, and peoples of ancient Rome
Articles on the culture, history, and peoples of ancient Rome
The Roman government took on my different forms from its centuries-long existence, back to its legendary founding. For the sake of brevity, this article will skip over its city-state and kingdom periods to focus on its republican and imperial periods. From the time of Julius Caesar, 48 BC, Rome and…
The Roman invasion of Britain was a determined military and political effort to project Roman power in the Northeastern Atlantic. Although Julius Caesar had visited Britain in 55BC (Before the birth of Christ) and reported that the soil was good, there was plenty of food and people that could be…
The Roman army was the backbone of the empire's power, and the Romans managed to conquer so many tribes, clans, confederations, and empires because of their military superiority. It was also the source of the empire's economic and political strength, ensuring domestic peace so that trade could flourish. However, this…
Ancient Roman slaves were the backbone of the empire's economy, up until its end, but their personal lives were anything but glamorous. A favored slave of a wealthy patrician could live in relative comfort; a less-fortunate laborer could literally be worked to death. Ancient Roman slaves were usually prisoners captured…
Roman entertainment is a byword for the decadence of the late empire, leading to its downfall when it spent more time on amusement than reforming the military or rooting out corruption. But few did mass entertainment better then the Romans. Their coliseums still inspire modern-day sporting arenas. Other forms of…
For more information on ancient Roman games and other counter-intuitive facts of ancient and medieval history, see Anthony Esolen's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization. The sort of leisure enjoyed by Roman children typically depended on one's class. Children from poor Roman families engaged in near-constant labor,…
The Romans were concerned about health and cleanliness. A network of pipes brought clean water into the city of Rome and removed waste. The public bath house was the place where people went to socialise and do business as well as getting clean. The picture, above, shows an artists impression…
The Romans were very superstitious. They believed that good or bad luck was given by the gods – if the gods were happy then you would have good luck but if they were unhappy then your luck would be bad. There were many different gods and each of them looked…
The Romans education was based on the classical Greek tradition but infused with Roman politics, cosmology, and religious beliefs. The only children to receive a formal education were the children of the rich. The very rich families employed a private tutor to teach their children. Those that could not afford…
The Roman system of numbers was made up of just seven letters. We still use Roman Numerals today, they are most often seen on clock or watch faces. The table below shows how the letters are combined to make numbers. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10…
