Amber
Roman Culture Report
Did you know that the children of Ancient Rome wore tunics with narrow strips until the age of sixteen and after the age of sixteen they got to wear a white one? Rome was founded in 753 B.C. and it grew with power. At 140 B.C. the city ruled all of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. The daily life of the Romans was not the same as ours is today. There were many differences that separated the rich from the poor. As you read my report you will see many examples of how life was different for the Ancient Romans.
The Roman women wore a tunic which was a shirt that went down to their knees. Over this they wore a stola which was full length dress from their neck to ankles. The stola was high-waisted and fastened at the shoulders with clasps. The color was usually white, brown or gray. The tunic was worn by plebians (common people), herdsmen and salves and made from a course dark colored material. A tunic worn by rich people was made from white wool or linen. Military tunics were shorter than those that the civilians wore.
Togas told a lot about the people of Ancient Rome. Only male citizens were allowed to wear the toga. Free Roman men wore a toga made from white wool or Egyptian linen instead of a cloak It was square or rectangular in shape and very heavy to wear. Because it was was so heavy, it was hard to do anything very active and usually only the wealthy free men of Rome wore them. The toga was worn for all important occasions. The Emperors' togas were dyed completely purple or black. Black togas, though, were usually worn when someone died.
Footwear also told a lot about the Roman people. Women wore closed shoes that were bright colors like red, white, green and yellow. Men wore sandals but the wealthy Roman men wore red sandals with a ornament of black. Some sandals even had pearls on them. Clothing told a a lot about the status of the Roman people.
The Romans were fond of colored stones such as topaz, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. Pendants and rings were very popular too. Rings were the only jewelry worn by Roman men. Most of the styles of the men's rings were signet style rings which were used to place seals on important items. Hot wax would be melted and before it cooled, the signet ring would be pressed down into the hot wax to leave an impression of the ring which was just like signing their name. Roman women loved highly decorated necklaces, pins, earrings, bracelets and friendship rings Pearls and other jewels were their favorite stones.
When Roman children were born, they were given a special locket called a Bulla. This locket contained an amulet (good luck charm) that was suppose to protect them from evil. Girls wore their bulla until their wedding day. Boys wore their Bulla's until the day they became a citizen.
Even in the Roman's daily life, differences were easy to tell. The poor Romans lived in small, crowded houses and would work 7 days a week. Many of the poorer Roman people lived as slaves in the wealthy Roman's houses. They would clean the houses, take care of the wealthy Roman's children and do the shopping and cooking. The slaves could also be sold. The rich people had a nice clean house. They didn't have dirt floors. The rich people had a pool in the middle of their houses and they had nice furniture too.
A lot of the things that we do today for fun, is similar in some ways to the Romans idea of entertainment. The Roman's played games like chess, checkers and tic, tac, toe. They had sporting events that lasted all day with animals and humans fighting. We go to sporting events too, but the ones that we go to are baseball, football, and basketball. Gladiators fought each other and they were trained fighters. And to relax, after 12:00, the Romans spent most of their time at the baths. They could get a massage or talk with friends and they sometimes exercised. Our gyms are somewhat like the Roman baths houses were.
Have you ever sat on steps at a show like Marine Land, when watching the whales and dolphins? The people in Rome use to sit on steps of the coliseums as they watched their comedies. That was the Romans entertainment and how they had fun.
In 500 B.C. the rich Romans did not want to be ruled by a king anymore. The king was doing a pretty good job for poor people but the rich wanted more power. The rich people tricked the poor into helping throw out the king. The rich people were in charge and they made the poor people vote except for the women, children and the slaves. This government was a Republic. There were two people in charge, they were called Consuls. The Senate helped the Consuls with the government. The Roman government was like our government because we have a President and a Vice President and the Romans had two Consuls. They also had a Senate and we also have a Senate.
What is your favorite food? The main food that the Roman's had to eat was wheat to make the porridge and bread . The first course of the day was breakfast when they ate fish, eggs, and wine. Feasts could last several hours. Their best food was fish, fried chicken, roast meat and different kinds of vegetables and fruits. They also ate olives, grapes and honey.
I would not want to live in ancient Rome because I would have to sit on steps and not on chairs. The Romans did other stuff for fun. We watch TV. They don't . I would not want to live in a not so nice house. They did not let woman, children and slaves vote or do many things except work.
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Roman Jewelry