Daily Life
Romans had to live according to the “rhythms” of the sun as no other method of measuring time or alternative power sources had been created. Majority of the population woke up in the early morning as the sun rose to begin work. Only a few houses had water so most citizens had to go to take water at public fountains. Water was essential in the roman lifestyle and was treated with great respect and care. Although it was hardly drunk due to contamination. Wine was the common drink for Romans evidence found in Herculaneum in a marble wall panel where Dionysus the God of Wine is depicted . For breakfast, they ate bread and cheese, maybe with vegetables or eggs.
Shops were open, markets were ready, and farmers were in the fields. Everyone was performing their personal job. Streets were crowded, market was full of life, sellers sold and citizens bought what they needed. For example In Pompeii alone 33 bakery restaurants have been discovered. With the carbonised remains of bread loaves inside ovens found showing that the eruption occurred in a time when the population were indulging in their daily routines. This marketplace is the last surviving from ancient roman society.
Thermal baths was a routine that allowed all levels of society to participate in as they were cheap and even slaves could use them. This was the best way to allow people to wash themselves also relaxing or having fun in a period in which only a few houses were provided with water. Average life expectancy during Roman age was 35 years so basic hygiene becomes important. Today we cannot understand why they passed from hot water to cold water and this as a revelation of its own is astonishing as it shows the advancement of the roman people as a civilization. They were also the place for politics and erotic art on Pompeii suburban baths that these baths were used for sexual activity.
Due to the danger in the streets of Pompeii, the population retired to sleep early but before then eating some eggs, olives and if they could afford it fish and cakes. Wealthy families for Dinner (cena) Six or seven courses, ranging from antipasti to rich fish and meat dishes, concluding with honey cakes, sweetmeats and fruit, all washed down with plenty of wine. Poor families Dinner More cereal made into a porridge or soup, served with foods that did not need cooking (to get around the limited kitchen facilities in poor dwellings). A hunk of cheese, raw beans, some whole-wheat bread, a few figs and olive oil. In Pompeii the wealthy had the chimneys, ovens, cooking utensils in order to make their food and the poorer tended to buy food from various food stalls in the market place or most regularly not eat at all. All of this discovered from archaeological and scientific investigations into the analysis of 139 skeletons found in Herculaneum. A third of the population was anaemic. The poor seem to have eaten virtually no meat, leaving their bones to be deprived of zinc. Skeletons from all classes also show signs of lead poisoning – possibly because the local wine was dosed with lead to make it keep better and is an important aspect showing the importance of wine to the roman lifestyle. However in comparison, their strong teeth and bones indicate people who were better fed and taller than the equivalent population in modern Naples. It is important to understand the majority of romans died of teeth-related diseases as their life expectancy was only 35years old.
Shops were open, markets were ready, and farmers were in the fields. Everyone was performing their personal job. Streets were crowded, market was full of life, sellers sold and citizens bought what they needed. For example In Pompeii alone 33 bakery restaurants have been discovered. With the carbonised remains of bread loaves inside ovens found showing that the eruption occurred in a time when the population were indulging in their daily routines. This marketplace is the last surviving from ancient roman society.
Thermal baths was a routine that allowed all levels of society to participate in as they were cheap and even slaves could use them. This was the best way to allow people to wash themselves also relaxing or having fun in a period in which only a few houses were provided with water. Average life expectancy during Roman age was 35 years so basic hygiene becomes important. Today we cannot understand why they passed from hot water to cold water and this as a revelation of its own is astonishing as it shows the advancement of the roman people as a civilization. They were also the place for politics and erotic art on Pompeii suburban baths that these baths were used for sexual activity.
Due to the danger in the streets of Pompeii, the population retired to sleep early but before then eating some eggs, olives and if they could afford it fish and cakes. Wealthy families for Dinner (cena) Six or seven courses, ranging from antipasti to rich fish and meat dishes, concluding with honey cakes, sweetmeats and fruit, all washed down with plenty of wine. Poor families Dinner More cereal made into a porridge or soup, served with foods that did not need cooking (to get around the limited kitchen facilities in poor dwellings). A hunk of cheese, raw beans, some whole-wheat bread, a few figs and olive oil. In Pompeii the wealthy had the chimneys, ovens, cooking utensils in order to make their food and the poorer tended to buy food from various food stalls in the market place or most regularly not eat at all. All of this discovered from archaeological and scientific investigations into the analysis of 139 skeletons found in Herculaneum. A third of the population was anaemic. The poor seem to have eaten virtually no meat, leaving their bones to be deprived of zinc. Skeletons from all classes also show signs of lead poisoning – possibly because the local wine was dosed with lead to make it keep better and is an important aspect showing the importance of wine to the roman lifestyle. However in comparison, their strong teeth and bones indicate people who were better fed and taller than the equivalent population in modern Naples. It is important to understand the majority of romans died of teeth-related diseases as their life expectancy was only 35years old.