Family, slaves, gladiators, military etc

1. Family
Women
Clientship
Slavery
Religion
Military
Gladiatorial Games
City living
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2. The Roman Family
Carved sarcophagus illustrating family life
Roman law gave absolute power to the
paterfamilias, the oldest male, who could punish and
even kill any member of the extended family in his
household.
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3. Women in Ancient Rome
Although women had no legal rights in the
Republic, they were often responsible for
day-to-day household affairs.
Until she was married, a Roman woman
was under the absolute control of her
father. After marriage, she was under the
absolute control of her husband.
Later, in the Imperial period, women were given more legal
rights, including the right to own and inherit property, as well as the right
of divorce. 3

4. Clientship
Important feature of
Roman society.
A Roman patrician would
surround himself with
clients, less powerful men to
whom he gave protection
and aid in return for loyalty.
The more important and powerful the patrician, the more clients he had.
His day often began with “office hours” when he received them and heard
their requests.
When he went out, he was accompanied by his clients, and their number
was a sign of his importance.
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5. Slavery
Slavery was widespread in the ancient world, and it was essential
to Roman society. Between 200 BCE and 200 CE, slaves made up as
much as a third of the population of Rome.
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6. Slaves in Rome
Household – Every patrician
household had slaves for cooking
and cleaning, and even as tutors for
their children.
Trades and crafts – Slaves
were used to run shops and work in
trade, with profits going to the
owner.
Agriculture – As the empire
grew, plantations worked by slaves
replaced small family farms.
Mining and public works – Slave labor was used for construction of
buildings, aqueducts and roads.
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7. Carving shows tiny slaves, reflecting their
position in society. 7

8. A free Roman who borrowed
money and failed to repay it
could be sold into slavery, but
most slaves were a result of
plunder from war and
conquest.
Slave for sale
They were important to the Roman economy as a commodity and
as a labor supply.
Slaves could be freed. Sometimes an owner would free a slave in
gratitude for long, faithful service. Sometimes a slave could earn
and save enough money to buy his freedom.
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9. Religion
Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome (715-674 BCE), made religion a
central part of the government and official life, and it remained so throughout
Rome’s history.
Animal sacrifice was performed before any important event, and priests
studied the entrails. If the sacrifice ritual went well and the guts looked good, it
was a sign that the gods approved.
Strange natural events like an eclipse or unusual animal behavior were
considered signs from the gods.
Temples were erected, supported financially, and staffed at state expense.
Every human event, including illness and victory or defeat in battle, was
thought to be an expression of the favor or disfavor of the gods.
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10. Major Roman Gods and Goddesses
Jupiter – King of the Gods
Juno – Wife of Jupiter
Mars - God of War (father of Romulus)
Mercury - Messenger of the Gods
Neptune - God of the Sea
Janus - God of Doorways
Diana - Goddess of Hunting
Vesta - Goddess of the Hearth
Minerva - Goddess of Healing and Wisdom
Venus - Goddess of Love (mother of Aeneas)
Baccus – God of Wine
Fortuna – Goddess of Luck 10

11. Mars and Venus
Romans believed they
were directly descended
from Mars (father of
Romulus and Remus)
and Venus
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12. A God for Everything
If it was important to the
Romans, they had a god or
goddess to represent it.
There was a
goddess, Roma, for the city of
Rome.
There was a crossroads god.
A god of fire.
And Victoria, the goddess of
victory (right).
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13. Household Gods
Every Roman household (at least
among the patricians and upper-
class people about whom we have
information) had an altar with
statues of household gods (lares and
penates), who were thought to take
an active role in domestic affairs.
"In a corner at the entrance to the house was a huge cupboard with a small
built-in shrine. Inside the shrine were the silver statuettes of the household
gods, a Venus in marble, and a golden casket.”
--Description from 60 CE
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14. The Roman Military
The Roman Republic used its military superiority
to dominate Italy and the Mediterranean.
Roman legions didn’t win every battle, but Rome
never accepted defeat.
If legions were wiped out, Rome sent more!
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15. The Military Camp
A Roman legion could march 18 miles a day or more, each soldier
carrying up to 60 pounds of gear and arms. At the end of the
march, they would construct a small town with a standard layout of
streets, tents, fortifications, and defenses. This would be their camp for
the night.
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16. Weaponry
Gladius – Short sword, 22 inches
long, used by Roman legionaries from
the 3rd century BCE. Used to make
short, powerful thrusts.
Pilum – Throwing spear. Legionaries
carried two pila, which they would hurl at the
enemy as they were charging, before
engaging with the gladius.
The pilum or javelin had a hammered iron
head about 9 inches long, mounted on a 3-
foot wooden shaft. The head was thin and
sharp, and would bend on impact so it
couldn’t be reused.
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17. Target – Round shield, 3 feet in diameter.
Scutum – Large infantry shield, 2 ½ x 4 feet.
Helmet – The youngest soldiers, often deployed at the front of an
attacking legion, wore a plain helmet, often covered with the skin of a wolf or
some other animal. More senior soldiers wore helmets with
crests of feathers or horse hairs. Helmet
decorations helped identify soldiers
in the midst of battle.
Pectorale – Brass breastplate
covering the heart.
Coin showing soldier
with pilum 17

18. Awards Earned by Military Commanders
Grass Crown – Highest military
honor, awarded to a commander by his troops
when he heroically saved the entire army. Made
on the spot from grass and weeds on the
battlefield, it was only awarded nine times in
Roman history. Sulla won the Grass Crown.
Civic Crown – Second highest award, for heroism in battle. Fashioned
from oak leaves. Civic Crown winners were immediately eligible to join the
Senate. Other Senators would stand and applaud when the man with the
crown entered. Julius Caesar won the Civic Crown early in his military career.
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19. The Military Triumph
The greatest honor for a Republican military commander was to be
awarded a Triumph by the Senate.
This was a march through the center of Rome by the full army with all the
captured spoils of war, including slaves and prisoners.
The march began outside the city and ended at the temple of Jupiter
Optimus Maximus, where the triumphing general made an offering to the god.
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20. This was the only
time that armed
soldiers were allowed
in the city.
The parade was
led by the chiefs of the
conquered
people, who were
executed afterward.
After the prisoners and loot came the triumphator (the general being
honored) and his army.
The general, his face and arms painted red, rode in a ceremonial cart
pulled by two white horses.
Behind him was a slave whose job was to repeat continuously, "Memento
mori" (“Remember, you are mortal”).
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21. Life of a Roman Soldier
Training – nearly constant.
Marching – the major form of troop transport.
Construction –
camps, roads, bridges, fortifications, and siege
engines.
Fighting – although this is what the army was
designed to do, actual fighting was rare in the life
of a Roman soldier.
Depiction of a
Roman centurion 21

22. Gladiators and Gladiatorial Games
Gladiatorial games
were an important
and popular form
of public
entertainment from
the middle
Republic until they
were outlawed by
the Emperor
Constantine in 325.
Pollice Verso ("With a Turned Thumb”)
by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1872
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23. Gladiators were
usually prisoners of
war, slaves, or
condemned
criminals, trained to
fight.
In the arena, they
fought until one
acknowledged
defeat by raising a
finger.
The crowd would
decide whether the
loser would be killed
or spared.
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24. Gladiators were owned or hired by wealthy Romans
who wanted to stage a public display.
The first known gladiatorial games in Rome were
staged in 264 BCE as part of a patrician funeral
celebration.
Later, emperors organized games with thousands of
fighting pairs.
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25. Gladiatorial games
were often the third
event in a
day of entertainment at
the amphitheater.
The first event would be fights
with wild animals. This would
be followed by the execution
of prisoners.
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26. Chariot Racing at the
Circus Maximus was
another popular form of
entertainment.
The sport dates from the
earliest days of Rome. It
was practiced by the
Greeks and Etruscans as
well.
Racers were usually slaves and often died in the ring. The winner
received a cash prize, and a slave who could stay alive would earn
enough to buy his freedom.
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27. CITY LIVING
In the final days of the Republic, the city of Rome was the
heart of a vast empire. With a million inhabitants, it was more than
three times larger than any of the other big cities of the empire:
Carthage, Alexandria and Antioch.
Most Romans were poor slum-dwellers, crammed into
dense, poorly-maintained apartments.
The wealthy lived in luxury on the
seven hills of Rome.
At the center of it all was the
Forum, crowded and lively. The Forum was
the center of civil, religious, and
commercial life in the city.
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28. Growth of Roman Population in the Late Republic
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220 BCE 190 BCE 170 BCE 50 BCE 1 BCE
Population (x 1000)
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