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A Glimpse of Teenage Life in Ancient Rome

Last updated over 3 years ago
14 questions
Watch each video, then answer the questions that go along with each video.
1

What was a common smell in early Roman mornings in AD 79?

1

In ancient Rome, what percentage of children died before reaching adulthood?

1

Although he can join the military at 17, what is Lucius not trusted to do until he is 25 years old?

1

At the baths, bathers participate in a more-than-an-hour long event that includes all of the following except:

1

In hindsight, we know Lucius' future. Which emperor will enact a reign of terror on Rome in Lucius' adult life?

1

The streets of ancient Rome were filled with itinerant traders. Describe how you imagine that kind of environment. How do you think the traders gained access to goods? If you were a trader, what would you sell?

1

Coming of age was a major event in the life of a child in ancient Rome. Why do you think there was such an incredible ceremony to celebrate adulthood? What similar celebrations exist today?

1

What are some major similarities and differences between ancient Roman culture and the culture of the average teenager today? Do you think you would have enjoyed life in ancient Rome?

Additional Resources for you to Explore
Romulus is an essential part of Rome's foundation myth. Romulus wanted to found a city on the Palatine Hill; Remus preferred the Aventine Hill. They agreed to determine the site through augury, but when each claimed the results in his own favor, they quarreled and Remus was killed. Romulus founded the new city, named it Rome after himself, and created its first legions and senate. The new city grew rapidly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus According to Laurence, Lucius would participate in an arranged marriage to a girl 10 years younger than him. http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/Ancient_Roman_Marriage.htm Liberalia is a particularly important Roman festival. This feast celebrates the maturation of young boys to manhood. Roman boys, usually at age 14, would remove the bulla praetexta, a hollow charm of gold or leather, which parents placed about the necks of children to ward off evil spirits. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalia Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. He was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty. http://www.roman-emperors.org/domitian.htm Roman baths were part of ancient Roman culture. They were vast facilities shared by members of similar peer groups. Based on your social standing, you bathed at specific times of the day and in varying conditions. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Balneae.html A strigil was a small, curved, metal tool used in Rome to scrape dirt and sweat from the body before effective soaps became available. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strigil The Forum of Augustus is one of the Imperial forums of Rome, Italy, built by Augustus. It includes the Temple of Mars Ultor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_of_Augustus Patrons, clients, slaves, and Freedmen -- one of the main institutions of Roman life was the dependent relationship established between a patrons and his client. http://romans.etrusia.co.uk/roman_patrons.phphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus

Four Sisters

1

What peculiar thing did Domitia's father do?

1

What was significant about the names of males in Ancient Rome, and why were the names of females sometimes confusing?

1

Where do the men go at the second hour?

1

Who wrote all the recorded history of Ancient Rome that we have today?

1

How does the public know that a woman is betrothed to be married?

1

Why is it important to know how women lived in Ancient Rome?

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Welcome to the world of Lucius Popidius Secundus, a 17-year old living in Rome in 73 AD. His life is a typical one of arranged marriages, coming-of-age festivals, and communal baths. Take a look at this exquisitely detailed lesson on life of a typical Roman teenager two thousand years ago. Freeborn women in ancient Rome were citizens (cives) but could not vote or hold political office. Because of their limited public role, women are named less frequently than men by Roman historians. But while Roman women held no direct political power, those from wealthy or powerful families could and did exert influence through private negotiations. Exceptional women who left an undeniable mark on history range from the semi-legendary Lucretia and Claudia Quinta, whose stories took on mythic significance; fierce Republican-era women such as Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi and Fulvia, who commanded an army and issued coins bearing her image; women of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, most prominently Livia, who contributed to the formation of Imperial mores; and the empress Helena, a driving force in promoting Christianity. Porticus of Livia: Begun by Augustus on the site of the house of Vedius Pollio (q.v.) in 15 B.C., and finished and dedicated to Livia in 7 B.C. (Cass. Dio LIV.23; LV.8; Suet. Aug. 29; Ov. Fast. VI.639). It is represented on three fragments of the Marble Plan (10, 11, 109), and was situated on the north slope of the Oppius on the so
Welcome to the world of Lucius Popidius Secundus, a 17-year old living in Rome in 73 AD. His life is a typical one of arranged marriages, coming-of-age festivals, and communal baths. Take a look at this exquisitely detailed lesson on life of a typical Roman teenager two thousand years ago. Freeborn women in ancient Rome were citizens (cives) but could not vote or hold political office. Because of their limited public role, women are named less frequently than men by Roman historians. But while Roman women held no direct political power, those from wealthy or powerful families could and did exert influence through private negotiations. Exceptional women who left an undeniable mark on history range from the semi-legendary Lucretia and Claudia Quinta, whose stories took on mythic significance; fierce Republican-era women such as Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi and Fulvia, who commanded an army and issued coins bearing her image; women of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, most prominently Livia, who contributed to the formation of Imperial mores; and the empress Helena, a driving force in promoting Christianity. Porticus of Livia: Begun by Augustus on the site of the house of Vedius Pollio (q.v.) in 15 B.C., and finished and dedicated to Livia in 7 B.C. (Cass. Dio LIV.23; LV.8; Suet. Aug. 29; Ov. Fast. VI.639). It is represented on three fragments of the Marble Plan (10, 11, 109), and was situated on the north slope of the Oppius on the south side of the clivus Suburanus, between this street and the later baths of Trajan. The porticus was rectangular, about 115 metres long and 75 wide, with an outer wall and double row of columns within. The Colosseum is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone, it was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire, and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world.Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 70 AD, and was completed in 80 AD under his successor and heir Titus. A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the arena. Most were despised as slaves, schooled under harsh conditions, socially marginalized, and segregated even in death. Women were not allowed prime seating at gladiator events (with rare, notable exceptions).