Life in Ancient Rome - Oxford University Press

1 life in Ancient Rome The Romans had one of the greatest and most powerful empires in history. They built roads and canals, and hundreds of elegant cities full of theatres, markets and enormous sports stadiums. But what were ordinary Roman houses like, and what was life like in a typical Roman home? Two thousand years ago, the Ancient city of Rome had over one million residents, and there wasn't enough space for all the people. When we think of Rome, we think of magnificent stone buildings like the Colosseum or the Pantheon, but most of its houses were wooden, especially in the poorer districts. Poorer people lived in two-storey houses around three sides of a central courtyard.

2 Families were larger than today. 1 There was no privacy inside the house, and, in the summer, it was often too hot as well as too crowded to sleep indoors, so younger people often slept on the roofs. Teenagers spent time with their friends in the courtyard, playing ball games and board games. 2 The houses didn't have kitchens or bathrooms, so people used the courtyard for cooking and washing. There weren't many cats in Ancient Rome, but the most popular pets were dogs, and some people had monkeys or ducks! Wealthier people had larger and more luxurious houses. 3 And because rich Romans had so many servants and slaves, their lives were unbelievably insight Pre-Intermediate Workbook Unit 4 33 Oxford University Press 2014 1.

3 Comfortable. Their one-storey homes were made of brick, with attractive red roofs, and the windows of all the rooms faced towards the courtyard. 4 Rich people wanted to be safe from crime. They had a big wall at the front of the house with a huge front door, and they had guards to watch out for thieves and burglars, especially at night. Inside a wealthy citizen's home, there were a lot of things that we think are modern. 5 They had pipes* that carried hot water under the floor of their bedrooms and living rooms, so they were warm in winter and they had a hot bath whenever they wanted one. There were a lot of rooms in their homes, including an office, a kitchen, a huge bathroom, and small rooms for their slaves.

4 Interestingly, they didn't have any carpets, or much furniture, and things like armchairs and desks simply didn't exist. The wealthy Romans decorated their walls with mosaics,* or by painting colourful pictures if the mosaics were too expensive. They often had a shady garden at the back of the house, which their gardeners looked after, and they usually tried to build their dining room opposite the garden so that they could eat and enjoy looking at the trees and flowers. People lived in Ancient Rome two thousand years ago, but were their homes and their daily lives so very different from the lives of very poor and very rich people today? pipes = long tubes that carry water around a house mosaics = wall pictures made from a lot of small stone pieces A002001.

5 Insight Pre-Intermediate Workbook Unit 4 33 Oxford University Press 2014 2.