Roman Life

Discover the life and society of the Romans with this collection of articles on all aspects of Roman life. Learn about their food and drink, social structure, politics, government, military, warfare & colonization, housing and architecture, arts, trade & economy, and more. Delve into the cultural practices and traditions of the Roman people to gain a deeper understanding of their way of life.

5 February, 2021 - 13:55 Nathan Falde

Vatican City’s Necropolis Shows How Roman Non-Elites Lived and Died

Beneath Vatican City, excavations of a Roman era necropolis have revealed fascinating details about Roman burial rituals and funerary practices from the first through to the early fourth centuries AD...

The Roman ruins at Valeria in Castilla-La Mancha. Source: Cultura Castilla-La Mancha

22 July, 2021 - 15:05 Cecilia Bogaard

Valeria: Thriving Roman Holiday Resort Emerging From Abandoned Ruins

Standing at these Roman ruins in the Spanish province of Cuenca, it’s hard to imagine that Valeria was a bustling Roman city 2,000 years ago. “You have to imagine a visitor entering the city through...

15th century the basement of a "market house" used as a prison

25 October, 2015 - 13:21 dhwty

Prisons and Imprisonment in the Ancient World: Punishments Used to Maintain Public Order

One of the most well-known forms of punishment today is imprisonment. One could argue that for any society to function properly, public order has to be maintained. This is an important function of...

30 October, 2019 - 12:49 dhwty

Ostia Antica: The First Roman Colony

Ostia Antica is an archaeological site located on the outskirts of Rome . Although the Romans referred to the site as Ostia, this article will use the term Ostia Antica, so as to avoid confusion with...

Alatri acropolis cyclopean wall by the Porta Maggiorre. Source: Laura Tabone

21 July, 2022 - 23:00 Laura Tabone

The Cyclopean Problem: Who Built Italy’s Astounding Ancient Walls?

Megalithic cyclopean masonry is found in many parts of Italy, including Lazio , Abruzzo, Campania, Umbria, Tuscany and Molise. This type of masonry involves fitting together huge differently shaped...

29 December, 2020 - 14:01 John S. Richardson

Classis Ravennas and the Defense of the Roman Empire

For almost 500 years, Classe was an important Roman seaport right up until the early Middle Ages. Protected by surrounding marshes, Classe was well placed for patrolling the Adriatic Sea , but the...

Remains of the Roman toy dog reveal its tiny stature and a healthy diet similar to its owners. Source: Martínez Sánchez / University of Granada

26 March, 2020 - 22:01 Ed Whelan

Ancient Remains Reveal the Romans Had ‘Toy Dogs’ Too

Research in Spain reveals that the Romans loved miniature or toy dogs. In antiquity, many members of the elite had pampered pets. Just as today, many celebrities have ‘toy dogs’ such as chihuahuas...

12 August, 2021 - 18:47 ashley cowie

Artifact Reveals People Were Fed To Lions In Roman Britain

Archaeologists have presented gory visual evidence that problematic people were fed to lions in Roman Britain. Excavations at a Roman house in Leicester, England in 2017 unearthed a dirt-caked bronze...

A 1593 edition of the Corpus Juris Civilis.

22 November, 2018 - 22:41 Mark Miller

Corpus Juris Civilis Law: Created by a Byzantine Emperor and Still Relevant in Courts Over 1,500 Years Later

By the time of Byzantine Emperor Justinian’s reign in the 6th century AD, the Western Roman Empire was kaput, lost to waves of Germanic invaders from the North. Justinian was determined to recapture...

Statue of Boudicca commissioned by Queen Victoria (Rixie / Adobe Stock)

4 January, 2023 - 23:09 Rebecca Batley

Venta Icenorum: Excavating Romans In Boudicca’s Lands

Today the sleepy village of Caistor St Edmund in the country of Norfolk with its typical church spire and green, seems unremarkable but 2,000 years ago the terrain helped shaped the future of the...

Some of the oak planks unearthed in the foundations of the portico. These planks are an example of those used for building Rome. Source: Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma, Italy

6 December, 2019 - 02:21 Ed Whelan

Imported Timber is the Newly Discovered Secret to Building Rome

An analysis of some 2000-year-old planks of wood has provided amazing insights into the Roman Empire . Experts have been able to establish that timber found in the heart of Ancient Rome was imported...

24 May, 2016 - 03:45 Natalia Klimczak

Did the Legendary Battle of Monte Medulio Really Happen?

Monte Medulio is the name of a legendary battle which is believed to have happened in 22 BC between the Romans and the united army of Cantabrians, Asturians, and Galicians. It is said to be the most...

15 October, 2022 - 22:58 Riley Winters

Spintriae, The Roman Sex Coins That Showed What Was on The Menu

There is a curiosity that belongs to ancient Roman history which historians are yet to solve; there exists a collection of Roman brass coins or tokens that depict sexual acts on one side and a...

Chariot race in Rome's Circus Maximus, as if seen from the starting gate. The Palatine Hill and Imperial palace are to the left, by Jean Léon Gérôme (1876) (Public Domain)

30 December, 2022 - 22:46 Caroline Freema...

The Life Of A Celebrity Roman Chariot Horse

“The horses burst through the sky and with swift-hooved feet cut a dash through the clouds, which blocked their way as borne on wings they passed the east wind .” (Ovid, Metamorphoses II.157–60) The...

18 March, 2021 - 00:57 John S. Richardson

Rome’s African Emperor: Septimius Severus and the Scottish Invasion

The Libyan-born Septimius Severus has gone down in history as the first African Emperor of Rome . With a thirst for power, he ruled the Roman Empire almost 2,000 years ago, declaring himself Emperor...

The passage of carts over decades could cause ruts (like the one shown), particularly in high-traffic areas of Pompeii.

17 May, 2019 - 12:37 Ed Whelan

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

The buried city of Pompeii continues to provide many insights into Roman society , economy, and culture. The ash and pumice , that fell on Pompeii from Mount Vesuvius , froze the city in time. A...

The Huns approaching Rome, led by Attila the Hun, painted by Ulpiano Checa. Source: Public domain

17 December, 2022 - 14:00 ashley cowie

Droughts, Not Gold, Drove Attila to Invade the Roman Empire

History has remembered Attila (c. 406 to 453) for having terrorized the Roman Empire with a campaign of violence as the ruler of a nomadic Central Asian and Eastern European people known as the Huns...

‘The Roman Festivals of the Colosseum’ by Pablo Salinas shows people of different Roman social classes. Source: Public Domain

6 November, 2020 - 21:19 John S. Richardson

The Strict Rules Dividing Ancient Roman Social Classes

Ancient Rome was both a class-conscious state as well as strictly hierarchical. However, this did not rule out the opportunity for people to move between ancient Roman social classes. Before the 2nd...

Some of the finds from the Northgate construction site, Chester, near the site of an important Roman legion camp. Source: Oxford Archaeology

21 August, 2020 - 18:00 Ed Whelan

New Finds Made Near Famous Roman Legion Base in Britain

Archaeologists have made some impressive new finds at an important Roman site in Britain. The finds are in an area that was once part of a large, Roman legionary camp and barracks. These discoveries...

Baths of Caracalla Source: Fabio Caricchia / Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma

1 July, 2022 - 22:59 Sahir

2,000-Year-Old Frescoes Discovered Under the Baths of Caracalla

2,000-year-old frescoes dating back to the time of Emperor Hadrian will be on public display at the site of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. The frescoes, which belong to different time periods and...

7 December, 2014 - 00:41 Ivan Petricevic

The Mighty Wall of Hadrian, Emperor of Rome

Built by Emperor Hadrian of the Roman Empire, Hadrian's Wall stretches across the width of England south of its modern border with Scotland. This incredible monument covers over seventy miles (120 km...

19 April, 2016 - 03:49 Natalia Klimczak

Examining the Impressive Ancient Roman Walls of Lugo

The territory of Galicia in Spain was conquered by the Romans c. 61 BC. The army led by Julius Caesar changed the beautiful scenery of this part of the Iberian Peninsula forever. Over the centuries,...

Roman weapons were vital to protecting and conquering the ancient world.

12 January, 2019 - 18:48 Ed Whelan

Roman Weapons: Sharp Blades to Conquer the Ancient World

The Romans were arguably one of the most successful conquerors of the ancient world. At the height of their power, the Roman Empire stretched from the British Isles in the north to Egypt in the south...

17 September, 2013 - 07:54 aprilholloway

Roman Law and the Banning of ‘Passive’ Homosexuality

In ancient Rome, there was no vocabulary to distinguish between homosexuality and heterosexuality. Sexuality instead was defined by behavioural mannerisms , whether active or passive, in both gay and...