We have taken walks through different historical epochs, from how we lived in Prehistory to the Inquisition, passing through ancient Japan or the English in the Victorian era.
In this post we will talk about domestic life in Ancient Rome, and you will notice that, apart from some aspects, those who lived at that time did it the same way we do today.Do you sign up for this new trip?
How Was domestic life in ancient Rome?
Let's start with food , a theme that unequivocally affects the whole society, however, as before now, the social position it determined the quality or type of food that was brought to the table.
Generally, the lower and poorer classes ate simpler things, unlike the rich, who often used lunches or dinners as Opportunities to prove your status.
Bread, for example, appears a lot in both breakfast and lunch.While the lower classes added olives, cheese and wine, the upper classes enjoyed a great variety of meats and fresh produce.The poorest, or the truly poor, ate porridge or leftovers.
The dinners of the rich Romans became legendary because of the great diversity of delicacies served, especially a sauce called garo , which consisted of the preparation of fermented fish viscera.They used it in the same way that today we use the soy sauce , and they considered her an aphrodisiac.
And who prepared the meals? For something the gender roles have been strengthened: the women, or the slaves of the house, and the children served it.There were no forks, and therefore they ate with their hands, spoons and knives.
The vast majority of Romans lived in a kind of buildings, called Insulae .These insulae could have more than 7 floors, but they also constituted A whole social sample.On the upper floors, which had a very high risk of collapsing, catching fire or flooding by leaks, lived the poorest, who had to pay daily or weekly rent.
They were literally knives of a single room , without ventilation or lighting, and without bathroom services, and from which could be evicted at any time .Alli lived entire families.
The two First floors were reserved for those with better incomes, such as merchants; They paid their rent annually and had access to many rooms with windows.
As you can imagine, the rich did not live in these buildings, lived in country houses, or in what they called domus , which was a large and very comfortable house, which included a library, rooms, kitchen, interior gardens, and located in the city.Customs similar to ours today, right?
As for marriage, they were arranged unions.The ages to marry were in the early years of adolescence, they at 12 and they at 14.They used to be easy and fast, and were the product of two agreements.
The first was between families of the couple, where there was a mutual scrutiny to corroborate if the wealth of the other and their social position were acceptable; If the "revision" was satisfactory, the second agreement was made, which was a formal, written marriage commitment (the nuptial tabulae ) and where the couple kissed to seal it.
On the day of the wedding, the rapture of the bride was simulated: the groom pretended to steal it and took her home.On the way they were accompanied by friends, and at the entrance of the house, he asked her his name and she replied: you Gaius, ego Gaia ”(“ If you Gaio, I Gaia.”) They all raised her up so that she didn't touch the door's threshold with her feet, and then the guests returned to their homes.
And this brings us to the next factor: a Roman citizen could not marry his favorite prostitute, or cousins or foreign women, and divorce was granted easily, it was enough declare the intention to separate before seven witnesses.If she was accused of infidelity, she could never remarry , which did not apply to the man, if he was the infidel.
This was because it was good for men to have sex outside marriage-with partners of both sexes, even-but they had to be with slaves, prostitutes or even concubines.Do you guess the role of wives? Stay calm, have children and remain faithful to their husbands.Of course, these laws were not always followed.
Men were supposed to enjoy a better sex life than women.It was common for a man to come to their slaves, and since they were not the owners of their bodies, the rape of one was no crime.
Domestic life in Ancient Rome included, of course, fun and recreation.Starting at noon, the upper class dedicated their time to leisure; most of the activities were public and shared by rich and poor, men and women; they attended the circus to see gladiatorial fights, car races or the theater.
Roman public baths were very popular for spending leisure time: normally it had spaces dedicated to physical exercise (what we might consider a gym) , a swimming pool and a health center; in some they even offered prostitutes.
The children also had their activities: the boys liked more the outdoor life, flying kites, practicing wrestling or war games, and the girls, apparently, they liked board games or dolls more, although who knows.
Of course, education depended on social status and gender.If you were a male, and high class, you had the privilege of access a formal education; and if you were a child you only learned to read and write.The mother was the one who taught reading and writing, Latin and arithmetic, until age 7, and from this age they received a teacher.
The wealthy families had private teachers, or slaves educated for it; they also sent the children to private schools.Male education, in domestic life in ancient Rome, included physical training to prepare them for military service.
Instead, children in the countryside or slaves they received little or no education, because it was more practical for them to learn their parents' trade, and the girls to clean up. For them there were no public schools , the closest thing was that some free slave gave sporadic lessons and informals.
There was a special ceremony at the time of the transition from child to adult, and it depended on his physical and mental dexterity that his father (the pater families ) decide your age of majority-usually between the ages of 14 and 17-Women passed their age of majority almost unnoticed.
The male ceremony included a sacrifice and discarded the infant toga.the father dressed him with the typical tunic of man: white; if the father had rank, it was reflected in the tunic: with two wide crimson stripes if he was a senator, or thin stripes if not.The last thing the boy dressed in the new clothes was the virgane toga or toga libera , used only by adult men.
Then the father gathered a large number of people and accompanied his son to the Forum, where the boy's name would be registered and that is how he would officially become a Roman citizen.
And can you guess what pets they liked in domestic life in Ancient Rome? Well, there were many animals, but he Dog was a favorite among the upper class, although the cat was also present.Domestic birds abounded, such as Indian green parrots or nightingales, but also herons, swans, geese, quails and ducks were kept in Roman houses less privileged.One of the favorites, almost on par with the dog, was the peacock, originally from India .The animals were deeply loved by the Romans.
And finally , although we know that we are left with many interesting details on the outside, a dimension: being a woman and living domestic life in ancient Rome should not be easy .
The girls were educated to give birth and stay at home, and there were few opportunities for them to develop their skills or tastes.But due to the very high infant mortality, the State rewarded Roman wives for giving birth, and if it achieved three births of live children, he would be awarded a prize: be independent as person .
Only then did the woman hope she was not owned by a man, even if she was Roman, and to take control of her life and affairs.
Did you like the subject? Then stay a little longer, and read Al Rico Roman banquet, Being a child in ancient Rome and these amazing Roman medical treatments.
Images: Marie-Lan Nguyen, Heribert Pohl, Vince O'Sullivan, Terence Faircloth , ididj0emama, Commons Wikimedia
Comments
Post a Comment