A. HOUSES:                                                                                                            back to Rome page  

Many of the houses inside the city were not overly large because there was a limited amount of space for residential
building, but in the suburbs and in the country, some of the residences were more "villas" or "palaces" than houses. In
their homes the Romans were surrounded by slaves who did all the menial tasks of the household and waited on their
masters every request.

  -  most Roman houses were only one story high, although some were two

  -  the wealthy used their houses as a means to demonstrate their wealth

  -  most houses had no windows on the outside (to protect against thieves, etc.)

  - entering through a short hall, the visitor came into a room called the ATRIUM.  This was a reception room where
the callers could be "screened" - those who were only there on business were dealt with right there and never got into the main
family living area. 
    Friends and honoured guests might get into the PERISTYLE,  which was open to the sky except for the border, which was roofed
 and supported by pillars. This area was  often decorated with plants, statues, fountains, etc. It gave the sunlight and fresh air of the
 outdoors combined with walled privacy.

  - off the two rooms just described, other rooms were covered by the roof. Floors were sometimes made of expensive
 patterned stone.  Some houses had central heating, hot and cold running water, sewage, expensive decorations

  - there was usually not a great deal of furniture, but what there was tended to be of very high quality. Chests  were
used for storage and these doubled as seats (there were no "closets")

  - meals were taken reclining on couches and selecting morsels from low tables.

  B. Clothing:

  - Roman clothing was designed to be both practical and graceful

  - citizens wore underwear that resembled a loincloth

  - their basic garment was a TUNIC : it was made from two pieces of woolen cloth sewed together with short sleeves
 and a hole for the neck. It mostly reached, down to the knees and could be adjusted with a belt.  This garment was standard dress for indoors.

  - the most famous Roman garment is the TOGA.  This was the Roman citizen's formal public wear (like today's
businessman's suit). The toga was a single, very large piece of undyed woolen cloth, plain for the ordinary citizen, but with special
 colored borders for the different ranks (ex. a senator was entitled to wear a toga with a purple border).  This garment was draped
around the body in such a way that it needed no fasteners.    Usually it was worn with the right arm free, the left under folds of cloth

  - footwear ranged from sandals to high soldiers' boots.  It was not  considered impolite to appear in public barefoot

  - women wore basically the same clothes as men, but theirs were more colored, shaped and decorated

  - hats were unpopular, used only for shade when working in the sun or for protection as helmets on the battlefield. 
A fold in the toga could be used as a hood

  - jewelry was at first seldom used, but as wealth grew its use grew between both sexes.  They used all forms of
jewelry that we use today

11. A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF A WEALTHY ROMAN:

  - The wealthy Roman did not "work" at common tasks : those were done for him be slaves

  - his day began at about 7 a.m.  After dressing, he would mostly spend one or two hours in his atrium (reception
room or office) handing out support money or free food to his poor "clients" (hangers-on). Then he would eat a light breakfast
and either receives formal visits (the manners of visiting and returning formal visits were very strict.

  - then he might attend a meeting of the Senate, if he were a member, or work on some government commission or
attend to some personal business.

  - a light luncheon and a mid-day rest followed

  - for most, the latter part of the afternoon was taken up with a visit to one of the great public baths (the Romans
were rivaled only by the Egyptians in cleanliness.  Most houses had bathtubs but most Romans preferred the society of the
public baths) At the baths there were many things besides bathing facilities : first a man might take a variety of exercise, then a
variety of baths (hot, cold, steam,  etc.), massage and swimming.  Also there were game rooms, conversation areas, lecture halls,
music or recital areas, art displays, etc.  The baths were social clubs, news sources, culture centers, exercise areas, opportunities
for cleanliness, and they were so cheap that everyone could afford to go.

  - the wealthy Roman might take his evening meal at the restaurant at the baths or return home to eat with his family,
but he might host or be invited out to an evening banquet.  The great wealth and luxury of the Empire period ensured that some of
these were lavish affairs with rare and exotic foods, much expensive drink, decoration and costly entertainment. Although there
sometimes were excesses of eating, drinking and   promiscuous sexual behavior, this side of Roman life has been exaggerated and
most Romans were reasonably moderate in their behavior

  - Romans usually retired early to bed.