Most Romans could not afford a house; they lived in rooms or apartments.
Types of Apartments:
Located in apartment buildings, parts of a private house, above shops/factories, or within converted houses.
Small size with shared cooking and bathroom facilities.
Communal Life: Apartment life encouraged open and communal interactions, differing significantly from today's urban living conditions.
Living space influenced family dynamics and relationships with neighbors.
Many ancient apartments were poorly designed and inexpensive.
Complaints from an Apartment Dweller
Juvenal's Satirical Insights:
Excerpt from Juvenal, Satires 3 (193-202):
Describes the precarious living conditions in Rome, emphasizing flimsy constructions and fire hazards.
Illustrates a fire breaking out: some residents panic while others remain oblivious to danger.
Martial's Experience:
Excerpt from Martial, Epigrams 8 (14.5-6):
Complains about inadequate living conditions like a poorly fitting window, rendering the space undesirable even to Boreas, the North Wind.
A Landlord's Problems
Cicero's Property Woes:
Describes buildings with significant structural failures, representing the unstable nature of urban rental properties.
Urban rental property was a substantial income source for many senators.
House Prices
High Cost of Living in Rome:
Rent and housing costs in Rome were higher than in towns or rural areas.
Many citizens preferred the urban experience despite the expense.
Excerpt from Juvenal, Satires 3 (223-225):
Emphasizes the relative affordability of better housing options outside of Rome compared to the expensive rents for substandard living conditions.
Rental Advertisements
Romans advertised rentals by painting 'For Rent' notices on building exteriors.
Example from Pompeii:
The Arrius Pollio Apartment Complex:
For Rent: Available shops and luxurious second-story apartments.
From Julia Felix:
Elegantly appointed Venus Baths and apartment space available with a lease agreement.
Homeowner's Insurance
Risk of Fire:
Fire was a significant hazard due to prevalent open flames and wooden buildings.
Context: An A.D. 64 fire destroyed or damaged a third of central Rome's buildings.
Martial's observation:
Suggests fraudulent behavior where owners might burn properties for insurance claims.
Example from Martial, Epigrams 3 (52):
The wealthy Tongilianus benefits from a substantial insurance payout after a fire, raising questions about his involvement.
The Benefits of City Life
Urban living offered various social services unavailable in rural settings, yet involved noise and congestion.
Aqueducts:
Romans engineered aqueducts to transport water, crucial for urban sanitation and lifestyle.
Aqueducts were durable and well-maintained, with some still visible today.
Meals and Dining Culture
Senatorial gatherings: Luxurious meals, described as extravagant and catered but also highlighting complex social dynamics.
Popular ingredients: Fish sauce known as garum, indicative of Roman culinary practices and trade.
Garum Production:
Ingredients and methods listed for making garum, including various fish and lengthy fermentation processes.
Recipe dissemination:
Cookbooks were available, detailing popular dishes of the time, emphasizing sweet and sour flavors common in Roman cuisine.
Illnesses and Medical Care in Rome
Common Ailments:
Cicero describes struggles with dysentery and medical responses.
Seneca describes his asthma, articulating the distress and societal view of ailments as 'rehearsals for death'.
Medical Treatments:
Remedies described by Pliny the Elder, covering jaundice and fractures with suggestions for cures using animal products and earth-derived substances.
Teachers and Schools
Education structure in Rome was tiered:
Litteratoren at the lowest level, focusing on basic education; the grammaticus refining writing; and the rhetor for advanced public speaking.
Orbilius, a notable teacher with a temperate reputation, embodied educator struggles.
Corporal Punishment and Teacher's Authority
Corporal punishment was common, debated by Quintilian, advocating for less violent strategies in education.
Teachers had long hours with minimal pay and often operated in makeshift locations and conditions.
Martial complains about teachers disturbing neighbors before dawn, showcasing public sentiment against harsh teaching practices.
Working For A Living
Majority of Romans engaged in labor for sustaining families, with disdain from aristocrats towards working-class professions.
Thesis by Cicero:
Enumerates 'vulgar' occupations poorly suited for gentlemen, favoring esteemed professions like teaching, architecture, and medicine rather than trade.
Roman Attitudes Toward Freedmen
Freedmen had voting rights but were denied public office, and their social status carried stigma.
Trimalchio's Portrayal:
The wealthy freedman stereotype depicts vulgarity but mirrors the complexities of social mobility and aspiration in Roman society, as satirized by Petronius.
Juvenal's Critique of Foreigners:
Expresses resentment against Greeks in Rome, emphasizing cultural concerns and competition for social status.