Daily Life in Ancient Rome
As Aurelia lay awake in bed while her husband slept
peacefully, all she could think about was the exciting upcoming events that
were about to take place in Rome. Her husband had been gone tending to
political matters for such a long time now, she forgot what it was like to
stroll around the city aimlessly with his company.
It was summertime now, the date was August 21st
to be exact. The festival of Consus was currently taking place. Aurelia and
Appius awoke to breakfast waiting for them at the table. Everyone was in a
lighter mood, Appius had a break from Senate meetings, Aurelia had a break from
watching over their home and the slaves, and the slaves understood this as an
easy rest of the day. Aurelia looked forward to heading to the city center with
her husband.
Rome was a vibrant city, even for the poor. Aurelia and
Appius ventured off to watch the spectacles, something they haven’t done
together in such a long time. Today there were gladiatorial games going on at
the arena, something they both enjoyed watching. These sacrifices that were
taking place, joined humans with their gods, and proved Roman superiority over defeated
enemies. There was a lot of pride and energy at these games. This was a busy
area, as it was free for all citizens to enjoy. However, Appius and Aurelia
never sat with the general public, they had their own isolated seats and was
tended on by slaves along with the other elites of the community.
Although they enjoyed being out in public together, Aurelia
and Appius agreed it was time to head home. When they arrived, they went
straight to the Atrium of their home where Aurelia lit oil lamps and called on
the slaves to prepare dinner for them and two other couples. They slaves arranged a table of wine and
grapes as they both awaited for their guests to arrive. This was a perfect way
to end their day of leisure and relaxation.
