Page 28 - A History of the World in 25 Cities

24
Life in
Almost 2,000 years ago, Rome was the largest city in existence.
It included magnificent public buildings and grand palaces, as well
as busy shops, market stalls and blocks of flats several storeys high.
At first, Rome was ruled by kings, then governed by elected officials. Augustus Caesar became the first emperor in 27 BCE – although he called himself the ‘first citizen’ of Rome instead.
Houses for the very wealthy had impressive entrance halls and up to four luxurious dining rooms where lavish feasts were served to guests who ate lying down on low couches. These grand houses also had running water, private bathrooms, ornate gardens and underfloor heating. Poorer people lived in blocks of flats three to five storeys high, often with shops on the ground floor. They had no kitchens and bought their hot meals from food stalls in the streets. Flats could be crowded, noisy and rat-infested, and some were so badly built they collapsed.
Your name told everyone your status – whether you were freeborn or had been enslaved. Boys usually had a first name – often Gaius, Lucius or Marcus – plus a clan name and a family name if they were Roman citizens. Girls were often only given female forms of the clan and family names. Common clan names were Claudia and Flavia. If there were several girls in one family, they might be called Older Claudia, Younger Claudia and Third Claudia.
Size of Empire at its biggest in 117:
In NuMbers
Size of the Roman army:
3OO OOO
Older Claudia