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Ancient Rome
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PAGE CONTENTS:
Ancient Rome Trivia
Life In the Roman Empire
The Senate, Roman Style
Roman Super Sport - Gladiators
Chariot Racing - The Greatest (Roman) Show on Earth
Claudius
Ancient Rome Trivia
Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned
We all know the story of mad Emperor Nero starting the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, then fiddling while the city burned.
However, this would have been impossible. For one thing, the violin wouldn't be invented for another 1,600 years. OK, some
versions of the story suggest that he played a lute or a lyre - but then, scholars place the emperor in his villa at Antium,
30 miles away, when the fire began. Though he was innocent of this disaster, however, there is much evidence to show that
he was ruthless and depraved.
Augustus Caesar became the emperor of Rome in 27 BC, and he ruled the empire for over forty years. This period of history
became known as the time of the "Great Roman Peace." In A.D. 80 the Colosseum was finished where battles were reenacted, where
gladiators fought, and where crowds were entertained by savage violence entertained by the spectacle of Christians being eaten
by lions.
In Rome, the world's first paved streets were laid out in 170 B.C. The
new streets were popular as they were functional in all types of weather and were easier to keep clean, but they amplified
the city's noise level.
In today's world, June is the month for marriage, but in ancient Rome,
at least the first half was deemed an inauspicious time for marriages, since it was a period of purification. The month of
June was named in honor of the queen of the Roman gods, Juno (Greek Hera), wife of Jupiter. It was during June that the Vestal
Virgins had their major annual celebration (7th-15th) and spring temple cleaning (Quando Stercus Delatum -- June 15th). It
was also during June of 455 that the Vandals sacked Rome.
Caligula of Rome had his father, mother and two brothers killed to become
emperor. Nero had his mother and first wife killed. These two emperors were hated so much by the people that all references
to them were deleted from official Roman documentation.
The first city to reach a population of 1 million
people was Rome, Italy in 133 B.C. London, England reached the mark in 1810 and New York City, USA made it in 1875. Today,
there are over 300 cities in the world that boast a population in excess of 1 million.
Lead poisoning has been blamed for contributing to the fall
of the Roman Empire. Women became infertile by drinking wine from vessels whose lead had dissolved in the wine, and the Roman
upper classes died out within a couple centuries. The Romans used lead as a sweetening agent and as a cure for diarrhea. It
added up to massive self-inflicted poisoning.
The statute mile of 5,280 feet originated in the Roman mille
passus, or "thousand paces," which measured 5,000 Roman feet. A Roman pace equaled 5 Roman feet, measured from the point at
which the heel of one foot was raised to the point at which it was set down again after an intervening step by the other foot.
Around the year 1500, the mile was divided into 8 furlongs, with each furlong measuring 625 feet. Later, under Queen Elizabeth
I, the Statute of 1593 confirmed the use of a shorter foot, which made the length of a furlong 660 feet, adding another 280
feet to the mile.
In ancient Rome there was no legal ceremony by a priest,
minister, or civil servant or any 3rd party to solemize a marriage and there were no formal records of the marriage. The couple
agreed to live together and they became recognized as married by the fact they lived together, or by actions such as the man
referring to the lady as his wife, or by evidence of a dowry, or by the general acceptance of their life-style as representing
a husband-wife relationship. Divorce was by agreement or by simply leaving the household on the part of either partner.
Ancient Rome: Immediately after the birth of a child the
midwife placed the child on the ground. If the father decided to pick the child up it was an indication that he would raise
the child. A child whose father did raise it up was 'exposed' outside the house or in some public place. Anyone who wished
might claim it. An absent husband might order his wife to 'expose' immediately.
In Rome in A.D. 270, Valentine had enraged the mad emperor
Claudius II, who had issued an edict forbidding marriage. Claudius felt that married men made poor soldiers, because they
would not want to leave their families for battle. The empire needed soldiers, so Claudius abolished marriage. Valentine,
bishop of Interamna, invited young couples to come to him in secret, where he joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius
learned of this 'friend of lovers,' and had the bishop brought to the palace. The emperor, impressed with the young priest's
dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the roman gods, to save him from certain execution. Valentine refused
to renounce Christianity and boldly attempted to convert the emperor. On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed.
The Roman emperor Commodos collected all the dwarfs, cripples,
and freaks he could find in the city of Rome and had them brought to the Colosseum, where they were ordered to fight each
other to the death with meat cleavers.
Because of heavy traffic congestion, Julius Caesar banned
all wheeled vehicles from Rome during daylight hours.
Roman soldiers were paid in salt. The words 'soldier' and
'salary' remind us of that. Worth your salt is actually a term taken from Roman Days when soldiers were payed in salt, which
would be exchanged on the market as cash.:)
The Romans developed the postcard. Several examples were
found in excavations near Hadrian's Wall in England. One was an invitation to a birthday party, another was a request for
someone in Rome to send a soldier more socks and underwear to England!
The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5
inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. (Source: Britannica.com)
The word "fornication" derives from the Latin word fornix,
meaning "arch?" Roman street prostitutes found lots of customers underneath the arches of the Colosseum. (Source:
DribbleGlass.com)
Did Romans like to kiss?
The Romans
had three words for kissing: basium was the kiss exchanged by acquaintances; osculum, the kiss between close friends; and
suavium, the kiss between lovers.
WHAT IS FONTINALIA?
After the
end of the summer season in ancient Rome, on October 13th, citizens celebrated Fontinalia, a tribute to Fontus, a water god,
by holding a feast in honor of the blessing of good water. They decorated wells and public fountains with garlands of flowers
and threw petals into the waters.
HOW DID THE WORD “TESTIFY” ORIGINATE?
To
"testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles.
What was up with the Romans and roses?
The
Romans were enamored with the smell of roses. According to historians, Nero had pipes installed under banquet plates to allow
his guests to be spritzed with rose scent between dinner courses.
In ancient Rome, it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose.
The Roman emperor Nero "married" his male slave Scotus.
In Rome, the world's first paved streets were laid out in
170 B.C. The new streets were popular as they were functional in all types of weather and were easier to keep clean, but they
amplified the city's noise level.
Because of heavy traffic congestion,
Julius Caesar banned all wheeled vehicles from Rome during daylight hours.
The word "toast," meaning a proposal of health, originated in Rome, where an actual bit of spiced,
burned bread was dropped into wine to improve the drink's flavor, absorb its sediment, and thus make it more healthful.
French toast isn't French. It comes from a Roman cookbook,
dating back to 1000 or 2000 B.C., and titled "Apicius on Cooking."
Ancient Greeks and Romans believed asparagus had medicinal
qualities for helping prevent bee stings and relieve toothaches
Life in the
Roman Empire
By Denis Mueller
What was life like in the Roman Empire? How did the citizens
of Rome play and live? An average day began early in the morning for the citizens of Rome. They were firm believers in getting
up early so the average day began well before the sun even came up. Shopkeepers and artisans were there to set-up the displays
in the streets of the forum, which was at the center of Roman life.
While the forum markets were being set up, the
Romans were getting dressed for their day. Their slaves, who prepared their hair and clothing, sent the Romans went out into
the streets. Any work to be done was completed in the morning. This gave the Romans plenty of leisure time.
From sunrise to noon the forum bubbled with excitement. The
streets were bustling with chariots taking important Romans to and from where they were heading. During this time children
attended school where they were taught reading and writing. Later, as they progressed, they were taught literature and mathematics.
It was at this time that the education of women stopped.
By noon families returned home and usually had a light lunch
consisting of eggs and baked goods. The Romans rarely worked in the afternoon and often visited the bathhouses where business
matters were discussed and debated. The bathing ritual was a daily occurrence. The Romans bathed twice a day and were sticklers
about cleanness.
In the afternoon it was time of some amusement. Usually this meant going to the circus games where
they would watch chariot races or the gladiators. The Romans loved spectacles and the bloodier the better. These contests
were usually free--do you here that sports owners-- and paid for by the Senate who felt that it was important to keep the
population happy.
By sunset the bathhouses and circus were closed and the family would go to dinner. The final meal
of the day would be a large feast. Here the manners of the day were quite different. They ate with their hands and kept their
elbows on the table. It was also considered an insult if you did not burp after a meal. The meats eaten were lamb, veal or
door mice followed by a spicy desert, which left them thirsty? This was to be followed by some wine mixed with honey or water.
Their meals would last for hours where delicacies were brought in from all over the empire to satisfy their appetites.
The
end of dinner also meant that the day was ending. The streets were not safe to go out at night and the Romans were in bed
shortly after sunset dreaming about the following day. All in all, life was pretty good if you were a citizen of Rome and
a man. For others, like slaves and women, it was not as good.
Sources: History Magazine
Copyright 2004 by PENN LLC. All rights reserved. Go ahead
and forward this, in its entirety, to others.
The Senate, Roman Syle
On a particularly divisive day in the U.S. Senate, party
leaders publicly disparage each other and strive to sabotage each other's policy plans. On a particularly divisive day in
133 BC, Roman senators smashed furniture and beat Tiberius Gracchus to death with a chair leg.
This is the institution that inspired America's founders?
Yes, it is. In the early United States of America, leaders like John Adams, James Madison, and James Monroe cited Roman histories
as they searched for a system of checks and balances. So, when Americans go to the polls to elect a new senate, KnowledgeNews
goes to Rome.
The word senator comes from the Latin word senex,
meaning "old man"--making a senate, literally, "a council of elders." Such councils had long given advice to the kings of
Rome. Then, around 500 BC, the Romans ditched the kings, but kept the advisory council.
For the next five centuries--the years of the Roman Republic--Rome
was ruled by elected administrators called consuls. Unlike kings, consuls were elected every year, and Roman law required
that there always be two of them, each with the power to veto the other's plans. These consuls sat atop a hierarchy of elected
political administrators called magistrates, who ran Rome on a daily basis. The magistrates oversaw everything from the census
to the centurions. Like the consuls, they held office for just one year.
Then there was the Senate. During the Republic, most Roman
senators came from powerful families that had ruled Rome for generations. They tended to be wealthy older men who were inclined
to form factions and make deals to advance their causes. (Sound familiar?) They knew no term limits--as long as you didn't
go broke or get kicked out for some transgression, you could stay in the Senate for life. But they never got a paycheck. Rome's
senators were volunteers.
The citizens of Rome elected their consuls and other magistrates,
but not their senators, who were chosen by the magistrates. In practice, it was a "revolving door" setup. Most men who served
as magistrates were appointed to the Senate when their terms ended. Those same fellows would serve in the Senate for a while,
then work as magistrates again before returning to the Senate. Being a magistrate could be lucrative, so competition for those
jobs was fierce.
The Senate wrote most of Rome's laws, but it didn't have
the authority to pass them on its own. All it could do was advise the magistrates and make recommendations. For recommendations
to become laws, popular assemblies had to vote to approve them. Roman citizens--free men above military age--gathered regularly
in such assemblies, both to enact the laws recommended by the Senate and to elect consuls and other magistrates.
By giving regular folks some say in the legislative process
and the election of officeholders, the Roman government guaranteed that even the most aristocratic snob had to court the masses.
Still, Rome's days as a republic were numbered by 44 BC, when Julius Caesar was murdered by senators who feared he would crown
himself king. Under Caesar's successor, Augustus, the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire, and the importance of the Senate
waned.
Colleen Kelly
November 6, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Every Learner, Inc. All rights reserved.
Roman Super Sport - Gladiators
During this year's Super Bowl, you may hear TV announcers
talk of "gridiron gladiators." Now, maybe the supersized, superfast, superrich athletes who struggle in the Super Bowl do
look a little gladiatorial. But there's a super difference: the Roman gladiator frequently paid for defeat with his life.
The Romans believed they inherited the idea of gladiatorial
contests from the Etruscans, who dominated Italy before Rome's rise. There is, however, no archaeological evidence that the
Etruscans did any such thing.
On the other hand, the Roman origin of the gladiator--from
the Latin gladius, or "sword"--is well documented. In 264 BC, the sons of Junius Brutus Pera honored their father at
his funeral by holding a contest featuring three pairs of gladiators. Rome fell sword-over-shields in love with the martial
display, and for the next five centuries, gladiators commanded more and more attention.
The majority of gladiators--condemned criminals, prisoners
of war, slaves--had no choice in the matter. By law, such people could be killed for virtually any reason, or compelled to
give up their lives for sport. Yet many free Romans chose to become gladiators, too. You just had to swear an oath agreeing
to be branded, chained, stabbed, and abused mercilessly against your will.
Why gladiate yourself like that? Maybe for the money (the
winning gladiator often got a cash prize) or for the food (three square meals could be hard to scrounge). Or maybe for the
girls, as aristocratic women were rumored to relieve their boredom by testing famous gladiators' prowess. No doubt many fought
simply because they liked it. Rome was a militaristic society in which death and violence were always near at hand. Gladiators
embodied the courage, strength, and military skill at the heart of Rome's rule.
Gladiators were, in fact, good with a sword. A new gladiator
would be sent to school, where he (or she--female gladiators were a rare but popular attraction) would be carefully trained
in the arts of war. Gladiators were, after all, in the entertainment business, and a well-trained gladiator not only provided
a better show, but was also more likely to live to wow them another day.
As a gladiator, you could expect to fight two or three
times per year. The rest of the time, you trained (not unlike boxers today). By the time you made it into the arena, you'd
be well nourished, in peak physical condition, and ready to fight.
Gladiatorial games typically consisted of three acts. In
the morning, you could see a "hunt" (venatio), featuring fabulous and fearsome beasts from throughout the land. Lions,
tigers, bears, elephants, ostriches, and nearly anything else would be paraded through the arena--and then killed by men or
animals. The displays involved so many animals that some species simply disappeared from the empire.
The second act began around lunch, when condemned criminals
were executed. Depending on the show, they might be tied to posts and savaged by animals starved for food, or they might be
forced to fight one another until only one man stood. No one knows whether the poor sap who survived won his freedom or merely
delayed his fate.
Afternoon and evening brought the main event: gladiators.
Different types of gladiator, distinguished by their armor and weapons, matched up against other types. The lightly armed
retiarius ("net man"), who wore no armor and fought with just a net and trident, might match his speed against the
slower but more thoroughly armed secutor ("pursuer"), while the "Thracian," who wore a small, round buckler and carried
a curved dagger, might face off against the murmillo, with a helmet, sword, and shield.
There were many other gladiator types, including the andabatae
who fought blindfolded, the essedarii who fought from chariots, the hoplomachi who fought in full battle gear,
and the laquearii who tried to lasso their opponents. New types arose as Rome expanded into new territories and brought
home new kinds of prisoners of war, who would then be forced to fight in their native style.
Some fights were purely for show, but most gladiators fought
in deadly earnest. When a fighter knew he had been beaten, he would hold up his hand to signal surrender. The aristocrat presiding
at the festivities would then--taking his cues from the crowd--"give the thumb," signaling whether the victor should finish
his opponent off (perhaps using the modern thumbs up/thumbs down, but no one knows for sure).
If the loser had fought well, he might be allowed to live.
But this hope depended on the mercy of a howling mob. By one estimate, the average gladiator's career spanned just ten matches.
Few lived long enough to retire. Most were killed, their bodies dumped in a pit and their arms and armor handed down to the
gladiators who took their place.
Gladiatorial contests initially took off in Rome because
they were politically expedient. Roman senators and emperors could win popular backing by entertaining the masses with fascinating
and bloody attractions. Yet eventually, Christianity won Rome over, and the gladiator came under increasing attack.
Constantine, the first emperor to embrace Christianity,
tried to abolish the contests in 325, but gladiators, he found, die hard. It took 80 years (and another emperor: Honorius)
before gladiatorial contests were finally prohibited in 404. Gladiators may have continued to fight unofficially for another
century or so, but their glory days were gone for good.
Mark Diller
KnowledgeNews is brought to you by Every Learner, Inc., an independent
small business dedicated to supporting lifelong learners. Copyright © 2007, Every Learner, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chariot Racing - The Greatest (Roman) Show on Earth
By the time of ancient Rome, chariot racing
already had a long history in the Mediterranean. But the Romans made it a spectacle like no other.
Roman chariots raced on circuses (so called because of their oval
shape). The greatest of these, the Circus Maximus, started out simply as a flat space between two hills on which spectators
would sit. Eventually, it was ringed with bleachers--first of wood, then of stone. Admission was free, and there were seats
for more than 150,000 spectators. By comparison, the Colosseum sat a mere 30,000.
The races featured quadriga teams--four horses yoked to each chariot. The
chariots, up to twelve per race, would start in elaborate starting gates, and when the doors burst open, the contestants would
race along a sandy track. The chariots were lightly constructed of wood and, with four horses pulling together, could move
like lightning. There were, however, seven laps in a race (totaling three or four miles), and the corners were tight, so drivers
had to accelerate and decelerate masterfully if they hoped to win.
High-ranking Romans were not allowed to race in the Circus, so the drivers
tended to be low-born--most were former slaves. With a cash purse riding on every contest, chariot racing was a good way for
talented men to make a lot of money and rise quickly up the social ladder.
Driven by the cash, drivers often disregarded safety and did everything
they could to win. Contestants would wear a helmet and wrap leather around their chests for safety, but they would also tie
the reins around their waist to leave their hands free, and that often spelled trouble. If a chariot capsized and a driver
found himself dragged behind his team, his only chance was to cut the reins with a special curved dagger that he wore for
that purpose.
With so many teams taking tight turns at high speeds, it wasn't unusual
to see a driver seriously injured. The Roman poet Martial wrote a verse in honor of the charioteer Scorpus, who won over 2,000
races. His career ended abruptly when he took a turn too fast; his chariot flipped over, and he was killed in the accident.
Now, what could make chariot racing even more thrilling? Try team rivalries.
Every chariot driver in the Circus Maximus belonged to one of four stables, denoted by the color they wore: red, green, white,
or blue. Each stable had a star driver, and his teammates would do what they could to make sure he won (or at least prevent
a hated rival from winning).
Members of the public identified strongly with a favorite stable, just
like sports fans today. Archaeologists have even recovered ancient curse tablets in which fans tried through occult means
to sabotage the hopes of rival teams.
With so much passion invested in the sport, is it any wonder that politicians
found a way to use it to their advantage? The famous phrase "bread and circuses" refers to the Roman method of distracting
a disaffected public with free food and spectacular races at public expense. Two thousand years later, we're just as passionate
about our own favorite teams, and winners visit the White House.
Mark Diller
Copright
2005, KnowledgeNews. All rights reserved.
Claudius
Claudius was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling
from January 24, 41 to his death in 54. The first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy, he was considered a rather unlikely
man to become emperor. as he was reportedly afflicted with some type of disability. However, this infirmity may have saved
him from the fate of many other Roman nobles during the purges of Tiberius and Caligula's reigns. His very survival led to
his being declared emperor after Caligula's assassination, at which point he was the last adult male of his family. Despite
his lack of political experience, Claudius proved to be an able administrator and a great builder of public works. His reign
saw an expansion of the empire, including the conquest of Britain.
Copyright © 2008 ArcaMax Publishing, Inc. and its licensors.
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