Classics - City life in the Classical World: Option 2 - Rome (OCR)

Classics - City life in the Classical World: Option 2 - Rome (OCR)

1. State Gods and Godesses

   • Jupiter
     • Sky, King of the Gods and lightning
   • Neptune
     • Sea, Horses and Storms
   • Mercury
     • Messenger
   • Mars
     • War
   • Pluto
     • Underworld
   • Apollo
     • Archery and the sun
   • Juno
     • Marriage and Queen of the Gods
   • Venus
     • Love and Beauty
   • Minerva
     • Wisdom
   • Diana
     • The Hunt and wild animals
   • Vesta
     • Hearth
   • Ceres
     • Crops

2. Temples

   • Religious and other functions: the position of the altar, the cult statue, use by worshippers.

3. Sacrifice

   • Its purpose, surroundings, officials, animals, the ritual from the selection of the animal to the disposal of the remains.

4. Life in the Home

   • The role of the paterfamilias: his rights over family members and slaves, his involvement in the education of his son, duties connected with religion, family finance; his responsibilities towards his clients.
   • The wife: status, rights and duties, daily activities, spinning and weaving, the supervision of slaves, the wife as mother.
   • The dinner party (cena): the organisation, guests, entertainment, purposes
   • Slaves: ways to become a slave, skilled and unskilled slaves, the purchasing of slaves, duties inside and outside the home for both male and female slaves, opportunities for freedom.

5. Education

   • The education of boys and girls in preparation for their adult roles.
   • Subjects studied at the schools of the litterator, grammaticus and rhetor; school equipment (stilus, wax tablet, pen, ink, papyrus)

6. Typical Day at the Colosseum

   • The Colosseum: the arena, size, access, seating, structure
   • Animal shows: types of animal, the bestiarius, men versus animals, performing animals, fights between animals, hunts.
   • Executions.
   • Gladiator shows: origins as funerary honours, types of gladiator; retiarius, secutors (samnite, myrmillo), armour, weaponry, typical training for fights (ludi gladiatorii), oaths, status.
   • Audience involvement.
   • The significance of the shows for both the Emperor and his citizens.

7. Typical Day at the Race

   • The Circus Maximus: the day’s events. The arena, its structure, size, the seating, the track, the spina, the metae, the carceres.
   • The teams and colours, the dangers, the status of charioteers and horses, public attitudes, audience involvement, betting, the social significance of such events.