Ancient Roman Culture

Level 2: Roman Culture

Recreation and entertainment:

Baths- baths were meant for leisure and social gathering. In the bath buildings could be found: hot pools, cold pools, towels, steam rooms, saunas, exercise rooms, libraries, hair cutting salons….

Chariot Racing- chariot racing was a very popular and favorite sport of men in chariots pulled by either two or four horses.

Gladiatorial Combats- the easiest way to describe gladiators are: they were men (usually slaves or prisoners) who were trained to fight and pretty much kill other people in combats for Roman entertainment.

Stage Performances- stage performances were plays of either comedy or tragedy. At first there were only performances on holidays and religious festivals (it later became more common).

Calendar terms: Kalends- Kalends fell on the first day of the month.

Nones- Nones was the 7th day of the thirty-one-day months (March, May, July and October), and the 5th day of the other months.

Ides- Ides fell on the 15th day of thirty-one-day months (March, May, July and October), and on the 13th day on other months.

Pridie- the day before the Nones, Ides, or Kalends was called Pridie. a.d. (ante diem)- a.d. (in lower case) stands for ante diem, a term used when naming a day in terms of its relation to either the Kalends, Nones or Ides.

Government and Magistrates:

Consul- the Roman republic was led by two Consuls who were joint heads of the Roman state and commanders-in-chief of the army.

Dictator- in times of crisis, a Dictator could be appointed. His time in office could not be longer than six months, but for his time in office he possessed the absolute power of a king.

Praetor- the Praetor was in charge of the judiciary of Rome. He acted as the chief judge, apart from the consuls.

Tribune- tribunes charged with protection of lives and property of plebians; their persons were inviolable; and had the power of ―veto‖ over elections, laws, decrees of the senate, and the acts of all other magistrates (except the dictator).

Fasces- the fasces were bundles of rods or sticks with an axe secured in the middle. They were carried, as symbols of power, by Roman lictors in front of certain important people.

Religion:

Pontifex Maximus- the Pontifix Maximus was the High Priest. His chief duty was to preside at state ceremonies, but apart from that he also oversaw the calendar and chose the vestal virgins, as well as some of the priesthoods.

Augures- Augures were religious officials who interpreted natural phenomena.

Military terms: Legio-legions were large group the army was split into.

Castra- the soldiers fortified camps at the end of each day‘s march to protect against surprise attacks and serve as refuges in case of defeat.

Legatus- lieutentants were officers in military. Impedimenta- every legion brought its own baggage train and constructed its own camp every evening at the side of the road. Ceremonies: Weddings- Roman marriages were private, resting on the consent of the two partners. The wedding ceremony itself held no legal value but was used to indicate a marriage. Funerals- funerals were generally organized by professional undertakers who provided the mourning women, musicians, and sometimes dancers and mimes.