Curated playlist
Culture of ancient Rome
- Marriage in ancient RomeA Roman girl could refuse a husband her father picked. She had to show he had bad character.
- Roman calendarBy 46 BC, a Roman spring festival was arriving in winter. The civil calendar had drifted a full season off.
- Culture of ancient RomeRomans never drank wine straight, and drinking it unmixed was seen as a sign of alcoholism.
- Munera (ancient Rome)In ancient Rome, munera began as gifts from the rich and became compulsory services.
- Romanization (cultural)A pre-Roman language, Gaulish, is thought to have survived in France into the 6th century.
- Parallel LivesPlutarch opened Parallel Lives by saying he was not writing histories. He wanted to study character.
- Ludus (ancient Rome)In ancient Rome, one Latin word meant school, gladiator barracks and board game. That word was ludus.
- Ancient Roman architectureRoman builders poured concrete into reusable wooden frames. It let them build fast without carving every stone by hand.
- GladiatorRoman gladiator games began as a gift to a dead father. In 264 BC, three pairs fought in a cattle market.
- Roman gardensOrdinary Romans had gardens too, not just the rich. Pompeii's excavations show small home gardens scaled to fit.