With all the boring parts taken out; this book has a very informative, lively and amusing stories of the ancient Roman Emperors that lived over three thousand year ago. The book has no particular storyline, or ending; it's just the author describing the lives of the Romans based on his/her knowledge and research.
The author discuses a lot of topics and the greatest Roman Emperors such as ( Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Calingula, Claudius and Nero) Each of them being described to finest detail; so that everyone will find it easy to comprehend, and easy to follow.
TOPICS:
1. Sex
In ancient Rome, it was believed that it had "unlimited sexual freedom". It was socially acceptable and legal for a free-born Roman man to have sex with both female and male partners, as long as he played the active role; acceptable partners were thus women of any social or legal status, male prostitutes, or male slaves. Restrictions on sexuality, especially female sexuality, varied between social classes; women who had a lower social status, as well as slaves, were allowed more of a greater sexual freedom and held to less rigid standards than those of the upper classes. Women were not allowed to have the freedom of sexuality; because men considered female homosexuality disgusting and dangerous.
2. Slavery
Most slaves in ancient Rome were brought through warfare, with Roman armies bringing captives back as part of the reward. Turning the defeated soldiers into slaves brought them much income, and would also serve as another way to imprisoning or killing them. Also, people could sell their children into slavery. However, it was illegal for people to sell themselves into slavery as this could provide the opportunity to commit fraud. Children abandoned at birth were also usually collected and made into slaves. New slaves were usually brought by wholesale dealers who followed the Roman armies. Many of the slaves were sold to people who wanted the slaves to work for them. Many people who bought slaves wanted strong slaves, mostly men. Child slaves used to cost less than an adult. Sometimes, Roman rulers would pay an extra fee to get good looking, sexy slaves who would not only do the work, and all the heavy lifting for them; they would also be pleasuring the owners.
The Roman army was very powerful and so it helped a lot in conquering all the lands and provinces. The army had different ranking soldiers controlled by the emperor/ruler. The emperor gave the orders to centurions who passed them onto the decurions, who then passed them down to the soldiers. The army had soldiers from all over the empire. Some soldiers were sent to Greece and the Greeks were sent to the Gaelic part of the empire. The army was the most efficient in the world, because the soldiers were very obedient and highly motivated. An average army had 5 thousand soldiers.
There were groups of 100 soldiers called "century commanded" by a centurion who had a higher rank. They were divided into groups of 8 called the "Contubernia". The contubernia had 8 legionnaires a milestone and a mule and they shared a tent.
There were groups of 100 soldiers called "century commanded" by a centurion who had a higher rank. They were divided into groups of 8 called the "Contubernia". The contubernia had 8 legionnaires a milestone and a mule and they shared a tent.
A different lifestyle than today, also meant that the eating habits of the Ancient Romans were different to ours today. Breakfast (the Romans called this jentaculum) was taken in the master's bedroom and usually had a slice of bread or a wheat pancake eaten with dates and honey. Wine was also drunk. Lunch (the Romans called this prandium) was eaten at about 11.00 a.m. and consisted of a light meal of bread, cheese and some meat. In many senses, everything was geared up towards the main meal of the day. A light supper was usually eaten just before the Romans went to bed, consisting of bread and fruit. The Romans were usually not big meat eaters and a lot of their normal meals involved vegetables, herbs and spices together with a wheat meal that looked like some kind of porridge. But, for a rich man's banquet anything that was exotic that could be purchased was served! Many meals were served with sauces. The Romans seemed to be particularly fond of sauces as it gave the cook the opportunity to make a dish seem a little bit more exciting that it may have been without the sauce. One particular favourite was the "garum" which was made by mixing fish waste with salt water and leaving it for several weeks until it was ready to eat. Overall, this dish was a salty and highly flavored sauce. Sauces made from vinegar, honey, pepper, herbs and spices were also popular. The Romans seemed to be very keen on sweet food and drinks. One of their favourite drinks was called "mulsum" which was a mixture of boiled wine and honey.
5. The Bloody Games
Many Romans thought that when people died; their souls were transported by human blood. To help this happen, slaves or prisoners of the war were sometimes killed during funerals. When an important Roman citizen called Julius Brutus died in 264 BC, his family had the idea of having three pairs of slaves fight each other during the funeral. In this way blood was shed and the mourners were given some entertainment. People who passed by often stopped by, and watched these fights and someone had the idea of putting out seats; just like a theatre, and charging people who were not friends or relatives of the family. The front seats were reserved for senators, magistrates and other important officials. Behind them were separate enclosures for patricians and soldiers, followed by another one for the ordinary citizens of Rome. At the top was a gallery for women. The emperor had his own private box with a special staircase that enabled him to enter just before the performance started. When he arrived the whole audience would usually give him a standing ovation. However, when the emperor had recently done something unpopular, the crowd would whistle and sometimes even throw missiles at him.
