Rome

Ancient Rome

By Archeologist Na Youn Kim

IntroductionAncient Rome was a civilization that existed from 756 B.C.E to 476 C.E.. It was very powerful and special. In this report, you will learn about clothing, roles in society , leisure activities , doctors and important legacies, such as roads and aqueducts.

ClothingIn ancient Rome , a person’s clothing was different according to their role in society . Ancient Romans made clothes without sewing . Most women wore several layers of fabric made into a thin shift called a “tunica”, as well as a long and sleeveless dress called a “palla” and a think cloak called a “stola”. Woman also wore a bright colored clothes. On the other hand, most men wore knee-length tunics “colobium” and semi-circular cloaks called “togas” . Many people wore loose-fitting robes that were made of long strips of clothes and large pieces of wool that wrapped around themselves . Both men and women wore leather sandals, or leather boots in cold weather. In their hair, women wore wooden hair sticks or wooden combs, which they could also use to comb their hair. For fancy occasions Roman men always continued to wear their woollen robes over their tunics. They called these wool robes togas, and there were a lot of rules about how exactly a man should wear his toga, and who could have a stripe on his toga. This helped to show who was rich and powerful and who was poor. Women often wore more than one linen tunic, and a wool scarf or veil over their tunics, which they could pull over their heads if it was raining or cold. As you can see, men and women wore different styles of clothing but they all used the same fabric.

Leisure

The ancient Romans enjoyed leisure activities and were very good at playing music. Romans like to perform songs and practice their favorite instruments, such as flutes , cymbals and castanets. Children also played with many things, such as seesaws , swings , kites , hoops , marbles, dice and cards. They also liked art, swimming, chess and polo. Also they played with small rocks and toys like wooden dolls because they didn’t have teddy bears. The most popular leisure activity was going to the colosseum to see chariot races, gladiator fights and killing wild animals. Gladiators were often prisoners who had to fight until they died. Many people also died in chariot races. Entertainment in ancient Rome could be very scary and ruthless.

Healing the SickIn ancient Rome, doctors who knew a lot about the body were often originally from Greece. The most famous Roman doctor was a man name Galen. He lived in the l00s AD and wrote a book about medicine. This was the main medical book that doctors used in Europe for the next thousand years and they still use that book to write medical books today. Galen made many discoveries about people’s body. For example, he knew that the heart pushed blood around the body. However, he also thought air came into the body through the heart, he cut into people’s heads and he used blood letting (which was a way of getting bad blood out of the body) and these were not good ideas. Galen was still a genius because he learned about the body by looking inside human’s body. He looked carefully at wounded soldiers and gladiator’s body because they were strong and healthy. Also, many Roman doctors were able to make artificial limbs and false teeth. As you can see, the Romans made many important discoveries about medicine.

Legacies

Two of the most important ancient Roman legacies were roads and aqueducts. Romans were great road builders They built 85,000km of road. Also trenches were dug 1.5 meters deep. Trenches helped any rainwater to drain away. The roads were important for travel, trade and defense. Also, aqueducts were important because they held water and moved it around the city. The longest aqueduct was 90km and the average was 30-40km. The Romans built aqueducts so their people could use clean water. Many of the aqueducts and roads built in ancient times are still seen in Italy today. Many civilizations learned about building from the Romans.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Ancient Romans enjoyed many leisure activities and their doctors discovered a lot about the body. Their clothing depending on their role in society. Two of the most important ancient Roman legacies were roads and aqueducts.

Reference List Author Date Title

Dr.Jamie Masters 1994 The Romans

Waylanel 1999 The Ancient Romans

Miles kelly 2004 100 things you should know about Ancient Rome

Watts 1996 Ancient Romans

Annabel spenceley 1993 Who were the Romans?

Belitha press 1999 Legacies from Ancient Rome

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Date accessed Website

25.10.12 www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/ancienthistory/ancientrome/preview .

25.10.12 www.historyforkids.org/learn/wemlromans/science/medicine

25.10.12 www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/clothing

25.10.12 www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/games/dice.htm