Daily Life in the Roman City: Rome Pompeii and Ostia (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series)

About this book

Despite the fact that the majority of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire lived an agricultural existence and thus resided outside of urban centers there is no denying the fact that the core of Roman civilizationits essential culture and politicswas based in cities. Even at the furthest boundaries of the Empire Roman cities shared a remarkable and consistent similarity in terms of architecture art infrastructure and organization which was modeled after the greatest city of all Rome itself. In Gregory Aldretes exhaustive account readers will have the opportunity to peer into the inner workings of daily life in ancient Rome to witness the full range of glory cruelty sophistication and deprivation that characterized Roman cities and will perhaps even gain new insight into the nature and history of urban existence in America today. Included are accounts of Romes history infrastructure government and inhabitants as well as chapters on life and death the dangers and pleasures of urban living entertainment religion the emperors and the economy. Additional sections explore two other important Roman cities: Ostia an industrial port town and Pompeii the doomed playground of the rich. This volume is ideal for high school and college students as well as for anyone interested in examining the realities of life in ancient Rome. A chronology of the time period maps illustrations a bibliography and an index are also included.