Daily Life in Ancient Rome; The People and the City at the Height of the Empire; Second Edition

by Jérôme Carcopino; Edited and annotated by Henry T. Roswell; Translated by E.O. L

• ISBN13: 9780300101867
• ISBN10: 0300101864
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-11-10
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

This classic book brings to life imperial Rome as it was during the second century A.D., the time of Trajan and Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Commodus. It was a period marked by lavish displays of wealth, a dazzling cultural mix, and the advent of Christianity. The splendor and squalor of the city, the spectacles, and the day's routines are reconstructed from an immense fund of archaeological evidence and from vivid descriptions by ancient poets, satirists, letter-writers, and novelists--from Petronius to Pliny the Younger. In a new Introduction, the eminent classicist Mary Beard appraises the book's enduring--and sometimes surprising--influence and its value for general readers and students. She also provides an up-to-date bibliographic essay.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Mary Beard
Preface	xvii
PART I The Physical and Moral Background of Roman Life
The Extent and Population of the City	3	(19)
The Splendour of the Urbs	3	(7)
The Precincts of Rome and the City's True Extent	10	(6)
The Growth of the City's Population	16	(6)
Houses and Streets	22	(30)
Modern Aspects of the Roman House	23	(8)
Archaic Aspects of the Roman House	31	(13)
Streets and Traffic	44	(8)
Society and Social Classes	52	(24)
Romans and Foreigners	52	(4)
Slavery and Manumission	56	(5)
The Confusion of Social Values	61	(4)
Living Standards and the Plutocracy	65	(11)
Marriage, Woman, and the Family	76	(25)
The Weakening of Paternal Authority	76	(4)
Betrothal and Marriage	80	(4)
The Roman Matron	84	(6)
Feminism and Demoralisation	90	(5)
Divorce and the Instability of the Family	95	(6)
Education and Religion	101	(42)
Symptoms of Decomposition	101	(2)
Primary Education	103	(4)
The Routine Teaching of the Grammarian	107	(7)
Impractical Rhetoric	114	(7)
The Decay of Traditional Religion	121	(7)
The Progress of Oriental Mysticism	128	(8)
The Advent of Christianity	136	(7)
PART II The Day's Routine
The Morning	143	(28)
The Days and Hours of the Roman Calendar	143	(7)
The Roman Begins the Day	150	(7)
The Barber	157	(7)
The Matron Dresses	164	(7)
Occupations	171	(31)
The Duties of a ``Client''	171	(2)
Businessmen and Manual Labourers	173	(11)
Justice and Politics	184	(9)
Public Readings	193	(9)
Shows and Spectacles	202	(46)
``Panem et Circenses''	202	(4)
The Employment of Leisure	206	(6)
The Races	212	(9)
The Theatre	221	(10)
The Amphitheatre	231	(13)
Late Opposition	244	(4)
Afternoon and Evening	248	(29)
Strolling, Gaming, and Pleasure	248	(6)
The Baths	254	(9)
Dinner	263	(14)
List of Abbreviations	277	(2)
Bibliographic Essay	279	(16)
Notes	295	(30)
Index	325