A Walk Through Ancient Rome
Dear Diary,
My name is Gabriela Malonedred. I finally have enough money put together, to buy myself a new diary to explain all of my mixed thoughts in. I am a poor woman who serves a wealthy Roman family. I live in Pompeii. My master is always leaving me to work with no break! I serve him day by day, and morning through night. I happened to get this job by noting a door open for an occupation wanted within. Now I regret ever laying eyes on this house! Today I decide that I want to take a break around the house and get away from the clean pieces of furniture that need to be cleaner.
I enjoy all sorts of entertainment similar to the other Romans in this town. When I have spare money, ( which is relatively rare ) I will go to the circus or the Colosseum. Greece has a type of entertainment called the Olympics. I don't know too much about them, because they don't interest me too much. Romans are very enthusiastic about chariot racing. We also have fun gambling on which team is going to win. The four regular teams are the whites, the greens, the blues, and the reds. Sometimes chariots win a lot of money. It is entertaining when they occasionally have a chariot fight against an animal. To make it more interesting, the different gladiators fight with a different weapon. When I take breaks like I am now, I might take a walk outdoors or attend the public baths. Right now I am on my way to the public baths. All Romans including the poor, attend them. All of us Romans believe in keeping ourselves clean.
After the trip to the bath
The best days of all are holidays. I save up precious money to celebrate most of my day with other Romans. We take a visit to the theatre or the circus. At the theatre, the stars wear elaborate masks and costumes. We all laugh together, enjoying the different outfits that people wear. There are different contests in the arena of the amphitheatre. There are different fights between animals which make me laugh. All of us in the audience will laugh and boo. We all enjoy seeing the skills between each gladiator.
As I turn around I see most of the kids rushing to school, including my master's children. I see all of the 13-year old girls, with drones on their beautiful faces. Seeing this, I know they hate their first year of secondary school. I remember when I was young how I too had a wealthy family who sent me to school everyday. In addition, it was unfair that boys didn't attend schools after the age of thirteen. But, on top of all their schooling they were trained for the Roman army. The girls and boys didn't attend the same schools. I enjoyed the days when I was with my wealthy family, but now, all I have is food, work, my diary, and a mean master with children.
I see the Romans stopping by little food shops and I wish that I had money to buy myself a nice fresh meal. Most Romans eat little meat. Our main food is wheat and flour, which we make into bread or porridge. We add herbs, olives, vegetables or other flavorings to the famous porridge. When I was a school girl, I would eat a wheat pancake with salt, dates, honey, or olives. In the middle of the day, I feed my bosses' children a main dish of savory wheat meal porridge. Wealthy people usually have more of a variety of food to choose from. At dinner parties, ( which I'm not invited to, ) people will eat up to seven courses. I would throw-up by the third because of how little I eat.
As you walk around Rome, you can tell which people are rich and which people are poor. I am counted as a poor person. I live in a small room over a shop, and I once lived in a tenement block. Once I had a friend that lived in an apartment. Her name was Ariel, and she died two years ago of a disease that was unknown. I remember how she used to complain about how she only had a bucket, a stool, and a mattress in her little room. She thought that the poor deserved more. My master owns his own house. He is known as a rich person. He is glad to have me around and pays me somewhat well, compared to what I got before. I shouldn't complain.
I have always thought that my master is well dressed, and the same with his two boys. My master wears a toga, which is a piece of cloth shaped like a blanket. He has different shaped togas such as square or circle, which he drapes over his body in folds. He used to have a toga made out of wool, until Rome started trading with Egypt. I don't believe much in this because I think our wool is better quality. Now all the people in Rome are wearing Egyptian linen for their clothing.
Master wears a white toga and his boys wear togas with a purple stripe going down the side. Our Roman senators wear togas with broad purple stripes down the sides. Men slaves wear just a piece of cloth with a little belt going around the waist called a tunic.
I wear a dress with the color varying. It is fun to see the different color dresses that women wear around here. We use vegetable dyes to color them.
I am beginning to feel ill, but I just can't stop writing words.
I wish I could behold the power of the king or be a consul. In Rome, our government is a republic. All people beg to become a consul for the king, and to share the power with him. You can hold this position for one whole year. The men have a citizens' assembly and a consul. This is called a senate. They are responsible for finance and foreign policy. This is where they make civil laws. A reason I know this is because my master is a consul. His boys think often about being one. They talk about it all the time.
My hand can hardly move and my head is feeling very warm. I am beginning to have stomach pains. I just want to keep writing to fill out one whole day of a diary page.
My master used to have a wife and had full control over her. I felt bad for her. Now she is gone, passed away, and now the law has changed. Now, woman are gaining independence. They are able to own their own property.
I don't know what is going on with me, but there has been lots of spirits going up into heaven lately. I think I am going to be the next. I am glad that I wrote to you before my death, diary. This day is the day that I started my first diary entry, and today is the last day I will write in it.
- By Lauren
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