Joshua Warren
Roman Culture
Professor Kathy Oluwajuyemi
HIS 201WS—USA, Africa and the World I
10/31/12
CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
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Rome was founded in 753 B.C.E, and the the majority of people that lived in rome where
people who spoke the latin language. Rome is located south and east of the Tiber River. Rome
had a rich culture all the way to its end in 476 C.E. While in power Rome had a great cultural
influence on the land under its control and neighboring nations. Romes rich culture and influence
can still be admired today.
Rome exceeds all descriptions and classifications. Undoubtedly, the city is a world of
incessant noise, intermingling scenes, landscapes and faces, and is almost an internal affair:
chaotic, yet enveloping. Through the cunning of its people and a series of successful government
experiments, a republican form of government, with two elected counsels at the helm was
established. Military confrontations, ranging from skirmishes to all-out war, played a continual
role in determining who would rule Italy and the lands around the Mediterranean; eventually
internal crises and civil war brought the republican form to an end.
Roman citizenship changed over time and place, but in general a number of rules
applied. A child born to a citizen who had a legal marriage was a citizen. Slaves who were freed
became citizens, but without the full rights of those who were born citizens. Women were not
eligible to vote, even though they had property rights. Men wishing to secure a place in the
government in the republic and early empire followed a set path in what was called the curses
honored, a political ladder in which politicians were expected to hold public expected to hold
public offices with increasing responsibility as they rose through the ranks to attain ever higher
political positions.
It was also a source of pride to reach a position at the earliest age possible for each step.
Only aristocrats who were worth a million sesterii were eligible to become senators and could
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climb up this ladder. Each participant was expected to begin his career with ten years of military
service, after which he could proceed to higher office. The first important position along the
cursus honorum, requiring that the candidate had reached the age of thirty and was well
educated. The next step along the political ladder was the office of praetor, an officer who
oversaw the army as well as the law courts. The next step on the ladder was to become consul, of
which there where two at a time elected for a one year term. The Romans were great portraitists
and left remarkable records of individuals. They learned much about the art of portraiture from
their predecessors, the Etruscans, as well as the Hellenistic Greeks, who were already masters at
this genre. Among the Romans, the practice of carrying the likeness of ones ancestors was
reserved to the patrician class. Portrait sculpture during the period utilized youthful and classical
proportions, evolving later into a mixture of realism and idealism. During the Antonine and
Severan periods, ornate hair and bearding, with deep cutting and drilling, became popular.
Advancements were also made in relief sculptures, usually depicting Roman victories. Latin
literature was, from its start, influenced heavily by Greek authors. Some of the earliest extant
works are of historical epics telling the early military history of Rome. As the Republic
expanded, authors began to produce poetry, comedy, history, and tragedy.
Implements used for farming or in industry were usually made of iron. A sickle would
have been used to cu crops such as wheat. Roman tools, as well as iron pickaxes and shears, are a
typical, and are hardly different from those used today by peasant farmers. Making wine was a
widespread industry in rural areas. The cooking of wine will turn into defrectum, which could be
drunk as new wine, or saved to make a concentrated must with a jelly like consistency. Some
would be put in large casks to be fermented for nine days, after which it would sealed shut in the
jars.
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Ancient Rome commanded a vast area of land, with tremendous natural and human
resources. As such, Rome's economy remained focused on farming and trade. Agricultural free
trade changed the Italian landscape, and by the 1st century B.C.E, vast grape and olive estates
had supplanted the yeoman farmers, who were unable to match the imported grain price. The
annexation of Egypt, Sicily and Tunisia in North Africa provided a continuous supply of grains.
In turn, olive oil and wine were Italy's main exports. Two-tier crop rotation was practiced, but
farm productivity was low, around 1 ton per hectare.
The Romans were great fans of entertainment. The very notion of public entertainment
began with theatre where, In the Republic period, wealthy families would sponsor dramas. These
were often in the context of a religious festival or a commemoration of a major event, such as a
death. Eventually the sponsorship of public events fell to the emperor, who used such events for
propaganda and the imperial agenda. The Romans were addicted to large-scale public events that
frequently involved the shedding of blood of both animals and humans. Also the danger of the
activity, ranging from gladiatorial fights to chariot racing, seems to have added to the appeal.
Panem et circenses, ‘bread and circus’ was a phrase invented by the Roman satirist Juvenal to
express his disdain for handouts of free foodstuffs and entertainment.
Going to baths was a social event among the Romans. Bathing involved luxurious
warming, steaming and cooling oneself in finely decorated premises, all offering a high level of
service and opportunity in socializing. Baths were frequented by people of all classes, from the
emperor to slaves, and although practices varied at different times and places, sometimes women
and men bathed together. Washing oneself was not the, even though people did want to get
clean. Drama and theatres, in which plays were seen, had been a staple of Greek society. Romans
too were drawn to this form of entertainment, and Roman dramatists wrote plays inspired by
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Greek tragedies and comedies. However, the uneducated element in Roman tended to be less
interested in highbrow drama, and more slapstick and bawdy entertainment. No matter what the
play, the actors would wear masks with a comic or tragic facial expression, depending on the
subject matter.
The role of women in Roman society was based largely on their position as wife and
mother. In the public sphere, even though they could not vote or officially take part in public life,
many of them had a big influence not only on their men but also through them on politics and
history. Livia the wife of Augustus the first emperor is is a good example. She frequently
interfered in political affairs through her husband and ultimately engineered the accession of her
son to the imperial throne. Nero’s mother, Agrippina, engaged I several intrigues to ensure
Nero’s succession. Marriage was also a major event in the lives of roman women. They normally
left their own family to become part of the husband’s extended household. Roman law provided
for several rites for the marriage ceremony, depending upon relative status of the people
involved. In addition, various similar social customs were observed, whatever the precise details
of the formalities. These included ritual washing and the cutting of the girl’s hair to signify her
new status. A new style of dress was required as well, declaring the young woman’s married
state to all. The bride, often very young, would dedicate her girlish clothes and her toys to the
Lares or to Venus, as she wore her new outfit. The joining of hand a part of the marriage
ceremony was often depicted in Roman art.
It was important for a child to be recognized by their father in order to be considered a
citizen and a full member of the family, and eligible to share in the family estate. In the case of
the boy, it affected whether he would become Pater Familias or had of the household, who
controlled the destiny of, wife children, unrelated supporters, and slaves. The father would lift
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the child, and I doing so, accept him or her as his own. The day to day care of young children
was normally entrusted to female slaves as wet nurses and eventually to a tutor usually a man.
Both sexes were educated at least to the secondary level, and occasionally a girl will distinguish
herself as a physician or in some other profession. In wealthier households, an educated slave,
often a Greek, would be the tutor who taught the children right in their own home. Children
learned to write by inscribing their letters on writing tablets covered in wax, and adults used such
tablets as well. Roman people also used papyrus for writing.
Healthcare under the Romans was unsophisticated. There was also no requirement for
licensing doctors or the regulation of medicines. Doctors in ancient Rome where known more for
their wealth rather than their training or medical accomplishments. Disease was usually treated
by men who studied Greek medicine, and often they were themselves Greek. Many were slaves
or freedmen, and Julius Caesar enticed Greek doctors to settle in Rome by offering citizenship.
Cures for ailments were often were often associated with bathing, and medical writers
recommended taking the baths or else avoiding them depending on the problem at hand.
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References:
Dunstan, William E. 2011. “Ancient Rome” Rowman & Littlefield. Chapter 15-
1.
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2.
York, NY :
National “Geographic Defining an Empire” Sep2012, Vol. 222 Issue 3, following
3.
pg100-
Lesley Adkins, Roy Adkins 1994. “ Handbook to life in ancient Rome” New
Facts on file.
110
4.
Times Higher Education Rome: “An empire story” 8/9/2012, Issue 2062, p44-44
3/4p
5.
Ancient Rome and Trade
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ancient_rome_and_trade.htm
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