What was life like in ancient Rome?

What was daily life like in Ancient Rome?

A photo of the coliseum in Rome. — Image caption,
Ancient Rome was an enormous city, The Colosseum built in AD80 was an amphitheatre used for entertainment.

Daily life in Ancient Rome would depend on what type of person you were.

Ancient Rome was an enormous city that, at one point, may have had around one million people living there.

There were lots of different groups of people in Roman society.

Rich people, poor people, men, women, children and slaves would all have had a very different daily life depending on their circumstances.

Important words

Important words on life in Ancient Rome.

Keyword	Definition
Forum	A central, open-air area where people could meet. It often had markets and held ceremonies.
Gauls	A group of ancient people from parts of France, Germany, Belgium and Italy.
Goths	A group of ancient people who lived near the Visigoths, likely coming from Scandinavia.
Sacked	To destroy and loot somewhere.
Vandals	A group of ancient people who are thought to have originally come from Poland.
Visigoths	A group of ancient people from parts of Eastern Europe. Their exact location is difficult to pinpoint.

Timeline of Ancient Rome

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Click the arrows learn more about the timeline of the Roman Empire!
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753BC
Roman legend says Rome was created by Romulus, who was raised with his twin Remus by a wolf.
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390BC
Rome was sacked by the Gauls in the Battle of the Allia. This led the Romans to strengthen their army and build stronger defences around Rome.
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AD64
The Great Fire of Rome. It was one of the worst tragedies in Roman history and burnt down a large part of the city.
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AD80
The Colosseum is completed. This was, and still is, the largest amphitheater in the world.
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Around AD360
Old St Peter’s Basilica was completed. This would later be turned into the current St Peter’s Basilica which receives millions of tourists every year.
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AD410
Roman soldiers leave many parts of their empire, including Britain, to help defend Rome from the Visigoths. With the Romans abandoning Britain, it was open to attack from the Anglo-Saxons.
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AD476
Fall of the Western Roman Empire (a.k.a. The Fall of Rome). The Roman empire has expanded too far and stretched itself too thin. The Emperor Romulus Augustulus (who was a child!) didn’t have enough military or political power to maintain control, and was overthrown by a German prince, Odovacar.
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Meanwhile...
There was a lot going on elsewhere in the world during the Roman Empire. Find out more about them in our other Bitesize History sections!

When did Ancient Rome exist?

A photograph of the badge of Roma FC. — Image caption,
Romulus and Remus are legendary founding figures from Ancient Rome's history, in the modern day they feature on the badge of football club AS Roma.

Rome was thought to have been built around 753BC and still exists today, although it has changed a lot.

According to legend, Rome grew from a small town built by Romulus.

As babies, Romulus and his twin brother Remus were left to drown in the River Tiber by their evil uncle, but they were rescued by a wolf.

Romulus eventually killed his twin brother Remus after they couldn’t decide where their new city should be built.

Rome expanded and a port (a place for boats to sail into) at Ostia was created around 630BC, becoming the city’s main port for bringing in goods to Rome from across the empire for a long time.

The city continued to grow and reached its largest between the years AD1 and AD200.

Finally, in AD476, a German general called Odoacer claimed himself to be the King of Italy and this brought the end of the Roman Empire.

Rome in ruins

Photo of the Roman forum in Rome. — Image caption,
The ruins of The Roman Forum, the centre of Ancient Rome, destroyed at the fall of the western Roman Empire.

Throughout its long history, Rome was attacked several times by different groups of people.

As the centre of a large empire, it was open to attack from different groups who fought against the Romans.

Around 390BC, the Gauls (from France, Belgium, Germany and Italy) sacked the city.

In AD410, the Visigoths (from Eastern Europe) burned Rome, the first time that it had been sacked in nearly 800 years.

The Vandals came and robbed the city for two weeks in AD455.

Rome also had a number of terrible fires with the Great Fire of Rome in AD64 causing so much damage that a group of firefighters was established in case it happened again.

What was there to see and do?

A photo of the Colosseum. — Image caption,
The Colosseum was a popular place for entertainment in Ancient Rome, you could see Gladiatorial combat, chariot races and even battles on water.

The city of Rome was filled with people from all across the empire and there was no shortage of things to see and do.

Rich men would have met at the forum (a central, open-air area where people could meet, it often had markets and held ceremonies) to do business, talk or have meetings about politics.

Rich women might have gone to the public baths, market places or visited the many temples.

Ordinary people would have had jobs, such as blacksmiths, carpenters and bakers, and visited the many baths of the city.

Entertainment was hugely popular, many people watched Gladiators at the Colosseum or watched chariot races at the Circus Maximus.

A photograph of the Circus Maximus in Rome. — Image caption,
The Circus Maximus was a chariot racing and public games stadium in Ancient Rome.

Children from poorer families could be made to work or join the Roman army.

Children from richer families would have been educated.

Slaves would have been taken to market to help carry goods, others worked in their owner’s villa, some did hard work in quarries or mines.

The treatment of slaves was varied - some received their freedom and better living conditions, but many were punished or even killed.

What did Romans do in their free time?

A photograph of the Bath of Caracalla in Rome. — Image caption,
Baths, like the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, were popular across the Roman Empire for bathing and as meeting places.

Ancient Rome spread over a huge area and was filled with lots of different places to see and visit.

Many Romans would visit the public baths, using them for a number of reasons.

People would often meet here to talk and have meetings whilst cleaning themselves and exercising.

Public baths often had multiple types of pools and areas, ranging from cold rooms and pools to warm and hot rooms.

People would often visit the many temples inside Rome too.

A photo of the Pantheon in Rome. — Image caption,
The Pantheon, built between AD100 and AD200, is one of Ancient Rome's oldest temples.

One of the largest and most impressive was the Pantheon.

This had the world’s largest domed concrete roof that didn’t need support to keep it up.

Many gods were worshipped here such as Jupiter (King of the gods), Minerva (goddess of wisdom) and Mars (god of war) along with many others.

Markets and shops would also have kept the people of Rome very busy and well-stocked.

Goods and materials from across the empire would have flowed into Rome such as glass from Egypt, wine from Greece, spices from India, purple dye from Phoenicia and slaves from across most of the empire.

Slideshow: Ancient Rome

Explore the slideshow and see some of the key areas of Ancient Rome.

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An 19th century artist’s impression of chariot racing at the Circus Maximus.
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The Colosseum was the place for Romans to watch Gladiatorial combat, chariot racing, mock (fake) battles and it was sometimes even flooded so it could hold boats.
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The Roman Pantheon, a large and important temple in Rome with a domed roof.
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The ruins of the forum in Rome, a place where people would meet, go to markets and festivals.

Think like a historian

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Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.