# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bNAePHCmwo
Before there were pubs and other social gathering places, there were the baths. These great buildings allowed many people to come together socialize and enjoy the relaxation provided by the baths. This was truely one of the first social media of the world. Its connection between relaxation and connection is one that has been replicated and used for inspiration for the many different places to come after it.

# data[].attributes.body
It's amazing to see how early we humans were in finding out more about medicine. I was impressed to see many of the tools they used back in Ancient Rome. Most of them actually look familiar of course now it seems like the tools they use in the 21st century are created with a different material.

# data[].attributes.body
The following video is gives viewers an image of what the Colosseum would've looked like back in ancient Rome. The video is a virtual reality video.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ancient Colosseum: A Virtual reality experience with Oculus Rift

# data[].attributes.headline
Comment to Roman Education by Fredy Ricano

# data[].attributes.subject
Comment to Roman Education by Fredy Ricano

# data[].attributes.body
One of my class mates posted on Roman education saying that only the wealthy were able to get educated. I don't really find this surprising because in the ancient world regardless of the location/ empire/ civilization this was not rare. For the most part it has always been the privileged the ones to be able to educate themselves and keep themselves and their families in the elite portion of society.

# data[].attributes.headline
Roman Culture: The Teenage life by Fredy Ricano 

# data[].attributes.subject
Roman Culture: The Teenage life by Fredy Ricano 

# data[].attributes.body
The following is a TED-ED talk, it will give you an idea of what it was like to be a teenager in Ancient Rome. I find it interesting because this short video is informative, and it also gives the viewer a chance to compare and contrast teenage life in ancient Rome with the teenage life in 21st century.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A glimpse of teenage life in ancient Rome - Ray Laurence

# data[].attributes.body
Chariot races was very common in the Roman Empire. The Romans had an interesting way of entertaining themselves, at their time period compared to other civilizations they were seemed as a bit violent. The gladiator fights were one of the most brutal and gruesome events that Romans liked to watch. The following link will lead you to an article that examines how chariot racing might have been held in hippodromes during the era of the Roman Empire. Topics discussed include possibility that Paul the Apostle was an spectator at chariot races in Jerusalem.

# data[].attributes.body
Some people, like the Christian Gnostics, tried to use magic spells and secret knowledge to get closer to God. The Christian followers of Montanus thought you could get closer to God through prayer. Pagan Neo-Platonists used philosophical ideas that came from Plato's ideas about the perfect form to try to perfect themselves and get closer to God that way. At the same time, a revival of Cynic philosophy formed a protest movement against imperial power.

http://quatr.us/romans/philosophy/

Rodriguez, M.

# data[].attributes.body
Famous for its continuous bas relief register, the Column of Trajan depicts emperor Trajan's victories in the Dacian Wars.
This article goes into more detail :https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/early-empire/a/column-of-trajan

Rodriguez, M.

# data[].attributes.body
(DM)

# data[].attributes.body
The Colosseum was revolutionary for its amphitheater (double theater) design and the use of concrete allowed it to be built very quickly for the time period. This video goes into more detail:

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/early-empire/v/colosseum-amphitheatrum-flavium-c-70-80-c-e-rome

Rodriguez, M.

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.vindolanda.com/educate/artefacts

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.bible-researcher.com/headcoverings3.html

# data[].attributes.body
(A) BUREAUCRATS
Officials were needed to collect taxes and keep records of spending.

(B) CLOTHING
The toga was no longer fashionable. Romans now wore rich and colourful clothes.

(C) EMPEROR
The emperor was a figure of awesome majesty. The Christian emperors claimed to rule the empire as Christ's deputies.

Rodriguez, M.

# data[].attributes.body
The post of Roman Cuisine is very insightful because it's important to understand their culture entirely. Personally, I assumed that they ate mostly bread.

(DM)

# data[].attributes.headline
Comment Directed Towards The Calvery Officer Helmet

# data[].attributes.subject
Comment Directed Towards The Calvery Officer Helmet

# data[].attributes.body
I liked this post because it was very interesting and the crown itself looks very detailed. I am also assuming this was made with Gold, and that makes the helmet even more valuable.

# data[].attributes.body
(DM)

# data[].attributes.body
Rodriguez, M.

# data[].attributes.body
I took art history and in fact we did talk a lot about the secco method of painting, and the I agree that the Romans had an interesting way of painting using several methods.

# data[].attributes.body
The gladiators were like the jocks of back then. What's great is that the Colosseum still stands today!

(DM

# data[].attributes.body
Late Antique upper class woman with expensive clothing/jewelry and elaborate hairstyle. This is the floor mosaic for a villa, an upperclass home.

# data[].attributes.body
This website explains each holiday of the ancient roman empire.
http://www.musesrealm.net/rome/festivalsinfo.html

# data[].attributes.body
Ancient bust of Seneca

Seneca was a Roman Stoic Philosopher who lived from 4 BC to 65 AD

# data[].attributes.body
(DM)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew from a small town on central Italy's Tiber River into an empire that at its peak encompassed most of continental Europe, Britain, much of western Asia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean islands. Among the many legacies of Roman dominance are the widespread use of the Romance languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian) derived from Latin, the modern Western alphabet and calendar and the emergence of Christianity as a major world religion. After 450 years as a republic, Rome became an empire in the wake of Julius Caesar's rise and fall in the first century B.C. The long and triumphant reign of its first emperor, Augustus, began a golden age of peace and prosperity; by contrast, the empire's decline and fall by the fifth century A.D. was one of the most dramatic implosions in the history of human civilization.

Origins of Rome

As legend has it, Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, the god of war. Left to drown in a basket on the Tiber by a king of nearby Alba Longa and rescued by a she-wolf, the twins lived to defeat that king and found their own city on the river's banks in 753 B.C. After killing his brother, Romulus became the first king of Rome, which is named for him. A line of Sabine, Latin and Etruscan (earlier Italian civilizations) kings followed in a non-hereditary succession.

Did you know? Four decades after Constantine made Christianity Rome's official religion, Emperor Julian-known as the Apostate-tried to revive the pagan cults and temples of the past, but the process was reversed after his death, and Julian was the last pagan emperor of Rome.

Rome's era as a monarchy ended in 509 B.C. with the overthrow of its seventh king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, whom ancient historians portrayed as cruel and tyrannical, compared to his benevolent predecessors. A popular uprising was said to have arisen over the rape of a virtuous noblewoman, Lucretia, by the king's son. Whatever the cause, Rome turned from a monarchy into a republic, a world derived from res publica, or "property of the people."

The Early Republic

The power of the monarch passed to two annually elected magistrates called consuls; they also served as commanders in chief of the army. The magistrates, though elected by the people, were drawn largely from the Senate, which was dominated by the patricians, or the descendants of the original senators from the time of Romulus. Politics in the early republic was marked by the long struggle between patricians and plebeians (the common people), who eventually attained some political power through years of concessions from patricians, including their own political bodies, the tribunes, which could initiate or veto legislation.

In 450 B.C., the first Roman law code was inscribed on 12 bronze tablets-known as the Twelve Tables-and publicly displayed in the Roman Forum. These laws included issues of legal procedure, civil rights and property rights and provided the basis for all future Roman civil law. By around 300 B.C., real political power in Rome was centered in the Senate, which at the time included only members of patrician and wealthy plebeian families.

Military Expansion

During the early republic, the Roman state grew exponentially in both size and power. Though the Gauls sacked and burned Rome in 390 B.C., the Romans rebounded under the leadership of the military hero Camillus, eventually gaining control of the entire Italian peninsula by 264 B.C. Rome then fought a series of wars known as the Punic Wars with Carthage, a powerful city-state in northern Africa. The first two Punic Wars ended with Rome in full control of Sicily, the western Mediterranean and much of Spain. In the Third Punic War (149-146 B.C.), the Romans captured and destroyed the city of Carthage and sold its surviving inhabitants into slavery, making a section of northern Africa a Roman province. At the same time, Rome also spread its influence east, defeating King Philip V of Macedonia in the Macedonian Wars and turning his kingdom into another Roman province.

Rome's military conquests led directly to its cultural growth as a society, as the Romans benefited greatly from contact with such advanced cultures as the Greeks. The first Roman literature appeared around 240 B.C., with translations of Greek classics into Latin; Romans would eventually adopt much of Greek art, philosophy and religion.

Internal Struggles in the Late Republic

Rome's complex political institutions began to crumble under the weight of the growing empire, ushering in an era of internal turmoil and violence. The gap between rich and poor widened as wealthy landowners drove small farmers from public land, while access to government was increasingly limited to the more privileged classes. Attempts to address these social problems, such as the reform movements of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (in 133 B.C. and 123-22 B.C., respectively) ended in the reformers' deaths at the hands of their opponents.

Gaius Marius, a commoner whose military prowess elevated him to the position of consul (for the first of six terms) in 107 B.C., was the first of a series of warlords who would dominate Rome during the late republic. By 91 B.C., Marius was struggling against attacks by his opponents, including his fellow general Sulla, who emerged as military dictator around 82 B.C. After Sulla retired, one of his former supporters, Pompey, briefly served as consul before waging successful military campaigns against pirates in the Mediterranean and the forces of Mithridates in Asia. During this same period, Marcus Tullius Cicero, elected consul in 63 B.C., famously defeated the conspiracy of the patrician Cataline and won a reputation as one of Rome's greatest orators.

Caesar's Rise

When the victorious Pompey returned to Rome, he formed an uneasy alliance known as the First Triumvirate with the wealthy Marcus Licinius Crassus (who suppressed a slave rebellion led by Spartacus in 71 B.C.) and another rising star in Roman politics: Gaius Julius Caesar. After earning military glory in Spain, Caesar returned to Rome to vie for the consulship in 59 B.C. From his alliance with Pompey and Crassus, Caesar received the governorship of three wealthy provinces in Gaul beginning in 58 B.C.; he then set about conquering the rest of the region for Rome.

After Pompey's wife Julia (Caesar's daughter) died in 54 B.C., and Crassus was killed in battle against Parthia (present-day Iran) the following year, the triumvirate was broken. With old-style Roman politics in disorder, Pompey stepped in as sole consul in 53 B.C. Caesar's military glory in Gaul and his increasing wealth had eclipsed Pompey's, and the latter teamed with his Senate allies to steadily undermine Caesar. In 49 B.C., Caesar and one of his legions crossed the Rubicon, a river on the border between Italy from Cisalpine Gaul. Caesar's invasion of Italy ignited a civil war from which he emerged as dictator of Rome for life in 45 B.C.

From Caesar to Augustus

Less than a year later, Caesar was murdered by a group of his enemies (led by the republican nobles Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius). Consul Mark Antony and Caesar's great-nephew and adopted heir, Octavian, joined forces to crush Brutus and Cassius and divided power in Rome with ex-consul Lepidus in what was known as the Second Triumvirate. With Octavian leading the western provinces, Antony the east, and Lepidus Africa, tensions developed by 36 B.C. and the triumvirate soon dissolved. In 31 B.C., Octavian triumped over the forces of Antony and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt (also rumored to be the onetime lover of Julius Caesar) in the Battle of Actium. In the wake of this devastating defeat, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide.

By 29 B.C., Octavian was the sole leader of Rome and all its provinces. To avoid meeting Caesar's fate, he made sure to make his position as absolute ruler acceptable to the public by apparently restoring the political institutions of the Roman republic while in reality retaining all real power for himself. In 27 B.C., Octavian assumed the title of Augustus, becoming the first emperor of Rome.

Age of the Emperors

Augustus' rule restored morale in Rome after a century of discord and corruption and ushered in the famous pax Romana -two full centuries of peace and prosperity. He instituted various social reforms, won numerous military victories and allowed Roman literature, art, architecture and religion to flourish. Augustus ruled for 56 years, supported by his great army and by a growing cult of devotion to the emperor. When he died, the Senate elevated Augustus to the status of a god, beginning a long-running tradition of deification for popular emperors.

Augustus' dynasty included the unpopular Tiberius (14-37 A.D.), the bloodthirsty and unstable Caligula (37-41) and Claudius (41-54), who was best remembered for his army's conquest of Britain. The line ended with Nero (54-68), whose excesses drained the Roman treasury and led to his downfall and eventual suicide. Four emperors took the throne in the tumultuous year after Nero's death; the fourth, Vespasian (69-79), and his successors, Titus and Domitian, were known as the Flavians; they attempted to temper the excesses of the Roman court, restore Senate authority and promote public welfare. Titus (79-81) earned his people's devotion with his handling of recovery efforts after the infamous eruption of Vesuvius, which destroyed the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii.

The reign of Nerva (96-98), who was selected by the Senate to succeed Domitian, began another golden age in Roman history, during which four emperors-Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius-took the throne peacefully, succeeding one another by adoption, as opposed to hereditary succession. Trajan (98-117) expanded Rome's borders to the greatest extent in history with victories over the kingdoms of Dacia (now northwestern Romania) and Parthia. His successor Hadrian (117-138) solidified the empire's frontiers and continued his predecessor's work of establishing internal stability and instituting administrative reforms.

Under Antoninus Pius (138-161), Rome continued in peace and prosperity, but the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180) was dominated by conflict, including war against Parthia and Armenia and the invasion of Germanic tribes from the north. When Marcus fell ill and died near the battlefield at Vindobona (Vienna), he broke with the tradition of non-hereditary succession and named his 19-year-old son Commodus as his successor.

Decline and Disintegration

The decadence and incompetence of Commodus (180-192) brought the golden age of the Roman emperors to a disappointing end. His death at the hands of his own ministers sparked another period of civil war, from which Lucius Septimius Severus (193-211) emerged victorious. During the third century Rome suffered from a cycle of near-constant conflict. A total of 22 emperors took the throne, many of them meeting violent ends at the hands of the same soldiers who had propelled them to power. Meanwhile, threats from outside plagued the empire and depleted its riches, including continuing aggression from Germans and Parthians and raids by the Goths over the Aegean Sea.

The reign of Diocletian (284-305) temporarily restored peace and prosperity in Rome, but at a high cost to the unity of the empire. Diocletian divided power into the so-called tetrarchy (rule of four), sharing his title of Augustus (emperor) with Maximian. A pair of generals, Galerius and Constantius, were appointed as the assistants and chosen successors of Diocletian and Maximian; Diocletian and Galerius ruled the eastern Roman Empire, while Maximian and Constantius took power in the west.

The stability of this system suffered greatly after Diocletian and Maximian retired from office. Constantine (the son of Constantius) emerged from the ensuing power struggles as sole emperor of a reunified Rome in 324. He moved the Roman capital to the Greek city of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. At the Council of Nicaea in 325, Constantine made Christianity (once an obscure Jewish sect) Rome's official religion.

Roman unity under Constantine proved illusory, and 30 years after his death the eastern and western empires were again divided. Despite its continuing battle against Persian forces, the eastern Roman Empire-later known as the Byzantine Empire-would remain largely intact for centuries to come. An entirely different story played out in the west, where the empire was wracked by internal conflict as well as threats from abroad-particularly from the Germanic tribes now established within the empire's frontiers-and was steadily losing money due to constant warfare.

Rome eventually collapsed under the weight of its own bloated empire, losing its provinces one by one: Britain around 410; Spain and northern Africa by 430. Attila and his brutal Huns invaded Gaul and Italy around 450, further shaking the foundations of the empire. In September 476, a Germanic prince named Odovacar won control of the Roman army in Italy. After deposing the last western emperor, Romulus Augustus, Odovacar's troops proclaimed him king of Italy, bringing an ignoble end to the long, tumultuous history of ancient Rome.
Access hundreds of hours of historical video, commercial free, with HISTORY Vault. Start your free trial today.

PHOTO GALLERIES

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew from a small town on central Italy's Tiber River into an empire that at its peak encompassed most of continental Europe, Britain, much of western Asia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean islands.

# data[].attributes.headline
Comment to Leisure and Entertainment (Circus)

# data[].attributes.subject
Comment to Leisure and Entertainment (Circus)

# data[].attributes.body
The fact that Rome had a circus is not surprising but at the same time it is. It's more amusing to me than anything because I wonder if the circuses that we have now kind of based themselves off of the ones that started in Rome.

# data[].attributes.body
was interesting because it was such a big part of their culture and it was an actual sport them. just like a football game they gather around an "arena".

# data[].attributes.body
https://bensrecreationproject.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/singapore-educational-consultants-chariot-race1.jpg

# data[].attributes.body
This post is very interesting because people in Rome considered bathing as a public activity while others consider it more personal and private. It's very interesting how the Roman baths had their own unique structure.
This is a comment on a very old board (JLB)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The basic units of Roman society were households and families. Households included the head (usually the father) of the household, pater familias (father of the family), his wife, children, and other relatives. In the upper classes, slaves and servants were also part of the household.

# data[].attributes.body
Website:
http://www.rome.info/food/
Note:
I decided to include this because I thought it was a very important aspect in Roman history. It is important to examine the food that was being eaten during the Roman period so that we can learn even more about their history.

# data[].attributes.body
http://english-online.at.w0084d5d.kasserver.com/history/roman-empire/chariot-racing.jpg

# data[].attributes.body
The Roman education began slowly, and it was a privilege to the wealthy but eventually changed with the evolution of learning.

# data[].attributes.body
I didn't know there was such an emphasis on running it's interesting to me that the oldest sport in the Olympics was so crucial to the Romans. Do you think it also served them in preparation for when they would go into battle?

# data[].attributes.body
It's very interesting to me that Rome kept an atmosphere of violence even when they were at peace. It was not just entertainment, but it taught young boys what happens to soldiers who were captured or disobedient. It served as both education and a warning.

# data[].attributes.body
CN

# data[].attributes.body
Very extravagant earrings, but were men AND women allowed to wear earrings? and how could they have pierced ears back then? (gross thought....)

# data[].attributes.headline
Comment Directed Towards The Earrings Post

# data[].attributes.subject
Comment Directed Towards The Earrings Post

# data[].attributes.body
I thought this was very interesting and would have never looked into this particular form of leisure. I like that you included this picture and thought it was an informative aspect to consider.

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romemodel1a.jpg

# data[].attributes.body
-started with the Greeks
-persisted in Roman times with great thinkers such as Seneca and Epictetus
-everything is rooted in nature, and to live a good life one must understand the rules of the natural order
-destructive emotioins result from errors in judgement, it is virtuous to maintain a will in accord with nature's laws
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stoicism/

# data[].attributes.body
I really enjoyed reading about the chariot races because this was a big part of the Roman culture back then. This was an event that was participated in by many.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/298011700318278739/

# data[].attributes.headline
Comment Directed Towards Penka Eneva's Post

# data[].attributes.subject
Comment Directed Towards Penka Eneva's Post

# data[].attributes.body
I found lots of information on chariot racing as well. I think that was one of the main forms of entertainment and like that you decided to include it in our class padlet.

# data[].attributes.body
The attachment of the helmet is interesting, and it definitely shows the tradition and customs of the Roman Empire, and their forms of entertainment.

# data[].attributes.body
Ancient papyri show that wealthy Roman children (illustrated in this Mosaic from late antiquity rising on a camel) were enrolled in a youth organisation called a gymnasium in order to learn to be good citizens. It was the Roman equivalent of The Scouts

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/298011700318456929/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A list of names in which the usage is Ancient Roman.

# data[].attributes.body
-persisted until closing of Platonic Academy in 529 by Justinian I
-asked questions about the universe and our place in it
-described the derivation of all of reality as a product of "the One"
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/neoplatonism/

# data[].attributes.body
A heavily used entertainment area in Constantinople.
(DM)

# data[].attributes.headline
Detail from marble sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, c. 359; in the Museo Petriano

# data[].attributes.subject
Detail from marble sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, c. 359; in the Museo Petriano

# data[].attributes.body
High relief sarcophagus

Rodriguez, M.

# data[].attributes.headline
Prezi presentation on Roman leisure, culture, and entertainment

# data[].attributes.subject
Prezi presentation on Roman leisure, culture, and entertainment

# data[].attributes.body
https://prezi.com/zejhqcusmqzw/roman-leisure-culture-and-entetainment/

# data[].attributes.body
Most gladiator fights and chariot races took place here. Here is where most people would gather for entertainment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Roman clothes were made of wool, spun into cloth by the women of the family. Later on the richer people had slaves to do this work for them. If you could afford to buy clothes, you could buy linen, cotton or silk, which was brought to Rome from other parts of the Empire. Washing clothes was difficult because the Romans did not have washing machines or soap powder. They used either a chemical called sulphur or urine.

These are the clothes that Roman men wore

The Toga

This man is wearing a toga. Only male citizens of Rome were allowed to wear togas. They were made out of wool and were very large. The material was not sewn or pinned but was draped around the body and over one arm. Togas were very expensive because of the large amount of material needed to make them and very heavy. It was the law that all citizens wore togas for public events. They were even told which colour of toga they had to wear:

A plain white toga was worn by all adult male citizens

An off-white toga with a purple border was worn by magistrates and upper class boys

A toga made of dark coloured wool was worn after someone had died

A bleached toga was worn by politicians

A purple toga with gold embroidery was worn by a victorious general and later by emperors.

In later times it became more acceptable to wear togas of different colours with embroidery but this was frowned on by those who preferred to keep to the established order.

The Tunic

The tunic was standard dress for all men from slaves to the nobles. It could be worn plain, belted at the waist or under a cloak. Citizens of Rome would wear a tunic under their toga.

The simplest and cheapest tunics were made by sewing two pieces of wool together to make a tube with holes for the arms. For those that could afford it tunics could be made of linen or even silk. The tunic would be worn belted at the waist and just covering the knees.

Underwear

Both men and women wore a simple loincloth called a subligaculum under their clothes.

Shoes

Indoors, the Romans wore open-toed sandals. However, outdoors they preferred to wear shoes that covered their toes. The Romans made shoes and sandals by fixing strips of leather to a tough leather or cork base. Sandals, to be worn indoors or in the summer, had a smaller number of leather strips. Shoes for walking, for winter or for soldiers had many more leather strips to cover the toes and provide more warmth.

Jewellery

Men were only allowed to wear one piece of jewellery - a ring that was used to make a mark in wax for sealing documents. However, many ignored the rules and wore several rings and brooches to pin their cloaks.

Hairstyles

All men had their hair cut short and shaved. After the time of Hadrian some men began growing beards.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Roman clothes were made of wool, spun into cloth by the women of the family. Later on the richer people had slaves to do this work for them. If you could afford to buy clothes, you could buy linen, cotton or silk, which was brought to Rome from other parts of the Empire.

# data[].attributes.body
- O. Maj

# data[].attributes.body
different art work representing different estates, empire rule, and collapse

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.romanoimpero.com/2009/08/il-quotidiano.html?m=1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Al mattino presto, in genere all'alba, si animava la casa dei Romani, gli schiavi iniziavano a pulire i pavimenti di mosaico e pure per i pavimenti in cotto, che i Romani possedevano nelle case del tardo impero, in genere con piastrelle quadrate, con acqua, scope e segatura. Per i pavimenti di marmo c'era la stessa pulitura seguita da un passaggio di cera d'api con stracci di tela. Per i mosaici invece c'era la pietra pomice.

Anche i padroni, a meno che non avessero fatto molto tardi la sera, si alzavano presto, quando i servitori avevano portato l'occorrente per l'abluzione mattutina, realizzata con un bacile e un catino di bronzo, poi si asciugavano con panni di lino e si lavavano i denti usando spazzolino e dentifricio. Nel bagno abbondavano i piccoli recipienti in bronzo o ceramica aretina o pasta vitrea per profumi e unguenti. Però questa abluzione avveniva senza sapone, perchè i Romani non lo conoscevano.

Però erano puliti e si lavavano, almeno nei bagni privati o nelle terme pubbliche, usando cenere di faggio, liscivia, e poi una speciale creta tritata, e pietra pomice. Di questo trattamento d' urto la pelle non godeva, e perciò andava lenita, ammorbidita, idratata con balsami oleosi, che ungevano e profumavano e di cui si faceva largo uso e commercio.

Usavano pure il Lomentum, un preparato di farina di fave, usato come sostituto del sapone per lavare e curare la pelle; se ne faceva uso anche come maschera per la cosmesi del viso, per coprire le rughe del ventre (ad esempio in seguito al parto) oppure per eliminare i cattivi odori.

Per radersi, cosa che gli uomini facevano quotidianamente, si usavano acqua e rasoio, di ferro temprato o bronzo, continuamente affilato, poi passava lo schiavo a togliere con le pinzette i peli superflui.

Gli uomini non disdegnano di tingersi i capelli quando cominciano a imbiancare, e per la calvizie esistevano anche i parrucchini, ma se era solo incipiente si mascherava tingendo la cute con tinte più scure, come il nerofumo.

I Romani, sia uomini che donne, che dormissero nella stessa stanza o in camere distinte, mantenevano la biancheria intima, non si dormiva nudi.

Comunque dormivano più spesso in camere separate, con letti singoli in legno tornito e intarsiato o decorato a smalti, o tinteggiato a colori vivaci. Gli asciugamani erano di lino.

Realizzata l'abluzione sommaria del mattino, perchè quella più seria si faceva di pomeriggio, venivano gli schiavi per le acconciature delle donne e barba e capelli per gli uomini.

All'inizio del II secolo d.c., la maggior parte dei romani non prestavano particolare cura ai capelli, che venivano tagliati con una forbice di ferro, forfex, le cui lame avevano un perno nel mezzo e due anelli alla base per la presa.

Ma durante l'impero si usò maggior cura ai capelli, con l'uso di cosmetici per mantenerli morbidi e brillanti. Comunque spesso tagliavano capelli, barba e baffi, la trascuratezza non era vista di buon occhio, perchè l'igiene raccomandava il taglio e perfino in guerra i soldati si rasavano ogni giorno.

Per gli uomini c'erano il tonsor, per radere la barba e accorciare i capelli. I più ricchi avevano dei tonsores fra gli schiavi. I meno abbienti si recavano presso le botteghe di tonsor, talmente frequentate da diventare dei salotti. Il primo taglio della barba era la cerimonia della depositio barbae (deposizione della barba), segno del passaggio dalla adolescenza alla maturità.

Le donne avevano le ornatrices "ornatrici" che arricciavano i capelli con il pettine o il calamistrum, una stilo di ferro scaldato in una guaina di metallo sotto la cenere ardente, intorno a cui il tonsor attorcigliava i capelli. Seguiva la colorazione e la profumazione, poi la depilazione e infine il belletto. A volte la matrona avvolgeva la chioma in una delicata rete d'argento o d'oro.

C'era poi la vestizione della tunica, una veste con la parte posteriore un po' sopra il ginocchio, e più lunga sul davanti. Di diversa stoffa e diverso colore, in lino, lana, cotone, seta, velo o damasco, con colori pastello o di un rosso acceso i più frequenti. La tunica dei militari era più corta di quella civile. Quella dei cittadini era poi più corta di quella dei senatori, che era bordata di una striscia di porpora. Se l'uomo era di alto lignaggio indossava la toga sopra la tunica.

Per la matrona veniva prima la vestizione dei gioielli, dal diadema sui capelli, agli orecchini, le collane, i ciondoli e gli anelli, quelli per le dita, per le braccia e per le caviglie. Poi indossava la tunica, che per le donne si allungò fino ai talloni, poi la stola, in fondo a cui era cucito un gallone ricamato in oro, e la cintura. Infine, l'avvolgevano in uno scialle che le copriva le spalle e le scendeva fino ai piedi.

Elemento basilare dei gioielli era l'anello, ornato con una pasta vitrea o da una pietra preziosa con inciso un motivo (divinita', animali, simboli). Le collane andavano da quelle in perline di vetro o ceramica invetriata (la cosiddetta faience, di colore verde-azzurro a cui venivano anche attribuiti poteri magici, a quelle in argento o oro o di ambra. Questa resina fossile, importata dal mar Baltico, era considerato un amuleto protettivo per donne e bambini, infatti se ne trova nelle piu' ricche tombe femminili e infantili.

Ma prima di uscire si faceva una prima colazione molto sbrigativa. Gli uomini che andavano al lavoro a volte mangiavano invece qualcosa per strada, dalle numerose bancarelle che affollavano il foro, con pasti e spuntini caldi e freddi.

I Romani al mattino consumavano una frugale colazione, spesso con gli avanzi della sera, a base di pane e formaggio, olive e miele, preceduta da un bicchiere d'acqua. Oppure pane intinto nel vino dolcificato, o pane olio aceto e sale. Tipica era la colazione a pane e fichi. Per i bambini latte e pane o focaccette.

Gli uomini si recavano poi al lavoro e le donne badavano a dirigere i lavori di casa o uscivano per visitare amici o parenti. Le donne che lavoravano erano un numero esiguo, e quasi sempre di basso ceto, nei negozi, come artigiane o come levatrici.

A volte però sia donne che uomini andavano a fare shopping, nelle numerose botteghe dove potevano acquistare di tutto, manufatti locali o importati, o entrare nelle botteghe di scultori o pittori, cui potevano acquistare o commissionare un lavoro, oppure acquistare stoffe per farsi confezionare vestiti dai propri schiavi, ma non mancavano i sarti locali. C'erano anche i venditori occasionali di fiori e quelli di semi tostati. Numerose le botteghe di spezie usatissime in cucina, o incensi vari per profumare oli o biancheria, o ambienti.

Le botteghe vendevano mobili, cofani, scrigni, vasi decorati in terracotta, in bronzo, in bucchero o ceramica aretina, oltre a calici, tazze, ciotole, nonchè arnesi per il trucco: dagli specchi in bronzo, rame o argento, alle ciste in bronzo, alle spatole, ai profumi, ai vasetti in pasta vitrea per riporre gli unguenti, alle ciotoline minuscole dove raccogliere il trucco voluto, ai ventagli.

C'erano anche le botteghe da farmacia, spesso col medico presente, e le botteghe del cuoio per cinte, borse e sandali ornati, nonchè i gioiellieri, con oggetti in rame, bronzo, argento, oro, pasta vitrea e pietre preziose.
I Romani non facevano grande differenze tra pietre preziose e pasta vitrea, perchè quando ad esempio c'era da creare una collana con smeraldi se non si trovava la pietra della dovuta dimensione o forma se ne poneva una in pasta vitrea. Sovente sono state trovate collane o bracciali con pietre preziose miste a pasta vitrea

I FORI

Poi si poteva scappare al foro per ascoltare qualche processo con oratori famosi, o passeggiare sotto ai portici, tra le colonne, i templi sontuosi ed elaboratissimi, fra una moltitudine di statue dipinte.

In effetti noi ammiriamo le statue marmoree dell'epoca, ma ignoriamo che i Romani usavano dipingere le loro statue si da farle sembrare vive.

A noi sembrerebbe oggi di cattivo gusto, ma occorre immaginare che anche la pittorica era molto evoluta fra i romani, per cui una statua diventava una scultura e un dipinto insieme, con tinte armoniose e sfumate, che sottolineavano la bellezza delle opere d'arte.

Nei fori c'era il mercato, il tribunale, le assemblee dove si discuteva di politica o di costumi, dove si poteva mangiare qualcosa sulle bancarelle che cucinavano di tutto.

Alcuni tornavano a casa per fare un pranzo rapido, oppure si intrattenevano nelle taberne dove si serviva vino e cibo.

Le donne altolocate non facevano la spesa che era compito degli schiavi.

Già 200 anni prima che l'imperatore Caracalla facesse edificare le splendide terme romane, Agrippa edificò le sue nel 25 a.C. I bagni pubblici esistevano ed erano molto frequentati dai romani; ma dopo Agrippa gli imperatori romani fecero a gara per superare i predecessori con Terme sempre più grandiose, alcune delle quali arrivavano a contenere anche 6000 persone.

Così Roma si abbellì delle Terme di Agrippa, delle Terme Neroniane o Alessandrine, le Terme di Tito, le Terme di Traiano, le Terme Surane, le Terme Eleniane, le Terme Commodiane, le Terme di Caracalla, le Terme Deciane, le Terme Aureliane, le Terme di Diocleziano e le Terme di Costantino.

Le terme piacevano al popolo romano forse più del circo, dando grande prestigio e benevolenza all'imperatore di turno, per cui le tariffe di ingresso erano molto basse, all'inizio un quarto di asse, e gli adolescenti non pagavano, poi divennero da Agrippa in poi gratuite.

Si racconta infatti che Adriano scorse un suo ex veterano in pensione che si strofinava la schiena contro la parete della piscina. Interrogato sul motivo il veterano confessò di non potersi permettere uno schiavo che lo massaggiasse, al che Adriano gli dette una cospicua somma di denaro per le necessità.
Il che dimostra che nelle terme non c'era distinzione tra poveri e ricchi, visto che un imperatore poteva accadere che usufruisse delle stesse terme di tutti.

Dunque nel primo pomeriggio si andava alle terme, dove c'era di tutto: danzatori, mimi, suonatori, venditrici di fiori, venditori di amuleti, barbieri, bancarelle di cibo, ma anche giochi con i dadi, o astragali, o scommettitori per gladiatori o cavalli. Non mancavano le prostitute e i procacciatori d'affari, nonchè procuratrici di matrimoni, insieme a indovini e fattucchieri di ogni nazionalità.
La maggior parte delle terme includeva centri sportivi, piscine, parchi, librerie, piccoli teatri per ascoltare poesia e musica e una grande sala per le feste. Si trovavano anche ristoranti e locande per dormire o avere incontri galanti, ma pure prezzolati.

Di solito si iniziava con la ginnastica in palestra, o attività sportiva in un campo esterno, dove di svolgevano giochi alla palla, o gare di lotta, lancio del giavellotto, del disco, o semplicemente correre. Le donne giocavano a palla, o col volano, o correvano gareggiando tra loro.

La palestra era solitamente circondata da portici, aveva stanze adibite a bagni, spogliatoi, esedre con sedili. In seguito divenne anche sede di conversazioni e di scuola. Comunque il gioco più usato, per donne e uomini, era la palla, in locali appositi ( sphaeristeria) per favorire la benefica sudorazione prima del bagno.

Successivamente ci si recava ai bagni iniziando dal tepidarium, la stanza più grande e lussuosa delle terme, una grande piscina coperta con acqua tiepida dove si rimaneva almeno un'ora e ci si ungeva con oli.
Poi si andava nel calidarium. Si trattava di stanze più piccole, generalmente costruite sui lati della sala da bagno principale. Qui le piscine coperte avevano l'acqua calda.
Infine ci si recava nel laconicum, la stanza finale più calda, riscaldata con aria secca ad altissima temperatura, una specie di sauna.
Per ultimo si passava al frigidarium, una piscina con acqua fredda per tonificare il corpo.

Qui c'erano i massaggiatori che oltre al massaggio vendevano i balsamari per cospargere il corpo lavato con oli profumati. Per prima cosa toglievano gli olii di prima con gli strigili, strumenti di metallo ricurvi che usavano anche i gladiatori, poi si passavano asciugamani bagnati e nuovi balsami e oli profumati.

Le terme erano un salotto più vasto, dove si poteva incontrare molta gente o sedersi sulle panchine a prendere il fresco se faceva caldo, o scaldarsi se faceva freddo. Lì avvenivano scambi di idee, si trattavano affari, o si spettegolava o si facevano scommesse, anche se proibite dalla legge.

I bambini intanto erano andati a scuola o stavano cogli insegnanti privati, o a fare palestra. Quando raggiungevano l'adolescenza potevano anche loro usufruire delle terme, che erano aperte dal mezzodì al tramonto.

Un altro svago dei Romani, quando non erano attivi i giochi circensi, era la passeggiata nei giardini imperiali, che gli imperatori concedevano al pubblico, cosa che non accade più oggi, sia che si tratti di regnante o presidente di repubblica.

I giardini imperiali erano forniti di portici, archi, fontane e statue, permettendo ai romani di passeggiare all'ombra, di sedere nei ninfei umidi e freschi, ammirando le opere scultoree e le piante nostrane ed esotiche.

Verso sera si tornava a casa e la giornata finiva con la cena insieme ai familiari. Ma se c'era una cena a inviti la serata proseguiva, e tanto i padroni di casa quanto gli invitati si fermavano fino a notte inoltrata. Al banchetto partecipavano anche le donne, sedute in epoca repubblicana e sdraiate sui triclini in età imperiale, come del resto facevano le loro antenate etrusche.
Partecipavano anche gli schiavi personali degli ospiti, seduti sugli sgabelli o su cuscini in terra.

A fine serata gli ospiti venivano riaccompagnati dagli schiavi che recavano fiaccole se l'abitazione era vicina, o guidavano carrozze se era più lontana, visto che di giorno era proibito ma di notte era consentito andare in carrozza.

Finalmente i signori andavano in camera da letto dove cambiavano le vesti per indossare la tunica notturna e finalmente, dopo aver rivolto un pensiero a Morfeo, il Dio che concedeva il buon sonno, si addormentavano.

Il PRINCIPIO DEL PIACERE

Nell'Impero Romano come poi nella religione cristiana dominò il principio del sacrificio.
"Le terme, il vino, le donne: questa è la vita." è il testo di una iscrizione funeraria romana di epoca imperiale. E' il concetto dell'esistenza di una civiltà che vedeva nella dea Venere - la divinità del piacere - la propria progenitrice. La società romana aveva enormi squilibri sociali: una classe che ammassava e spendeva enormi ricchezze, e una plebe miserabile spesso mantenuta quasi esclusivamente dai donativi pubblici e dal lavoro degli schiavi.

Ricchi e poveri perseguivano un'uguale ansia di godimento. Nella metropoli immensa e frenetica, i cittadini passavano la maggior parte della giornata nelle strade, nel foro, in quei "palazzi per il popolo" che sono le basiliche e soprattutto le terme. Ogni romano, uomo o donna, vi passava in media due ore al giorno: a lavarsi, a giocare, a bere, ad amoreggiare, forse soprattutto a chiacchierare, anche questo uno dei piaceri dell'esistenza, a cui i Romani si dedicavano a vari livelli. Vi erano, solo a Roma, 950 edifici termali, dai più piccoli ai giganteschi: un servizio pubblico completamente gratuito, ma pure 28 biblioteche anch'esse pubbliche, con una media di 10000 volumi ciascuna.

Un numero incredibile di giornate è dedicato alle feste, sempre accompagnate da elargizioni e da spettacoli, naturalmente offerti dallo stato, o da qualche ricco cittadino. Essi sono di una grandiosità senza pari, tali da ricordare i più fastosi colossal della storia del cinema: solo che a Roma non si trattava di finzioni, e le ricostruzioni di battaglie comportavano centinaia di morti, come le cacce nel circo (magari trasformato in una foresta) vedevano l'uccisione di migliaia di animali esotici. Il fascino atroce del combattimento di gladiatori attirava plebei e patrizi e grandi dame.

Questo gusto per lo spettacolo si rifletteva anche nell'altra grande occasione di piacere: il banchetto. Gli eccessi stravaganti dei ricchi Romani a tavola, oggetto della satira divertita e feroce di Orazio, Giovenale e Petronio, appaiono come sorprendenti finzioni teatrali con complessi e inattesi riferimenti culturali: mitologici, astrologici, letterari.

Se la vita del cittadino comune tendeva a svolgersi nei grandi spazi pubblici, quella delle classi superiori tendeva a chiudersi nelle grandi dimore, in cui il ricco romano profondeva tesori. Preziose opere d'arte, razziate o acquistate a peso d'oro in Grecia e in Oriente, arredavano gli ambienti resi confortevoli da impianti di riscaldamento e attrezzature igieniche in tutto paragonabili a quelli moderni, o popolavano i giardini destinati a creare l'illusione della natura.

La contemplazione della natura era un altro grande piacere dei Romani, negato ai plebei: ne testimoniano le grandi ville, situate in posizioni stupende, messe in luce dagli archeologi o descritte dagli scrittori antichi. "Quando sono nella mia villa di Laurento - scrive Plinio - non ascolto nulla che mi dispiaccia di avere ascoltato, non dico nulla che mi penta di aver detto: nessun desiderio, nessun timore mi turba."
Il Carpe Diem dice tutto.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Al mattino presto, in genere all'alba, si animava la casa dei Romani, gli schiavi iniziavano a pulire i pavimenti di mosaico e pure per i pavimenti in cotto, che i Romani possedevano nelle case del tardo impero, in genere con piastrelle quadrate, con acqua, scope e segatura.

# data[].attributes.body
What was interesting about roman sculpture was how realistic they would make their portraits and how detailed they were -jp

# data[].attributes.headline
Chariot Racing was a form of entertainment. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Chariot Racing was a form of entertainment. 

# data[].attributes.body
http://funlibre.org/biblioteca2/docs_digitales/investigacion/the_clasical_idea_of_leisure.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.crystalinks.com/romebaths.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Intellectual Life of the Late Roman Empire

# data[].attributes.subject
Intellectual Life of the Late Roman Empire

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome/Intellectual-life-of-the-Late-Republic

Rodriguez, M.

# data[].attributes.body
the athletics of Rome also involved dangerous and murderous games
-Olivia Maj

# data[].attributes.body
Note:

Roman leisure included brutal fights against men who were considered the strongest.

(DM)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When the distance was longer than the stadion, the athletes had to turn on the running track around the turning-point, a pole at the end of the track. Taking this sharp turn of 180 degrees was difficult. When several athletes arrived together at the turning-point, falls and cheating, for example turning before the pole, could not always be avoided.

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.crystalinks.com/romeart.html

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/antiquity/late-roman-art.htm

Rodriguez, M.

# data[].attributes.body
(KS)

# data[].attributes.headline
Ancient Leisure and Entertainment in Rome 

# data[].attributes.subject
Ancient Leisure and Entertainment in Rome 

# data[].attributes.body
Website: http://www.ancient.eu/article/98/
Note:
This article discusses some of the more popular entertainment activities during the Roman Era. The image attached was considered a calvary sport helmet that was used during this period.

# data[].attributes.body
Most wall paintings during this time used the secco method, but some fresco paintings also existed during the Roman times.

# data[].attributes.body
Did you know Ancient Rome had a circus?!
(DM)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Arena,Baths,Circus, Theater: This model of central Rome in the fourth century CE highlights the major sites for public leisure and entertainment activities, each with its own monumental buildings specially designed to facilitate the activity. Separate pages are devoted to the first three, which had much greater prominence in the life of the ordinary Roman of imperial times than the theater did.