Welcome to the world of Lucius Popidius Secundus, a 17-year old living in Rome in 73 AD. His life is a typical one of arranged marriages, coming-of-age festivals, and communal baths. Take a look at this exquisitely detailed lesson on life of a typical Roman teenager two thousand years ago.
Freeborn women in ancient Rome were citizens (cives) but could not vote or hold political office. Because of their limited public role, women are named less frequently than men by Roman historians. But while Roman women held no direct political power, those from wealthy or powerful families could and did exert influence through private negotiations. Exceptional women who left an undeniable mark on history range from the semi-legendary Lucretia and Claudia Quinta, whose stories took on mythic significance; fierce Republican-era women such as Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi and Fulvia, who commanded an army and issued coins bearing her image; women of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, most prominently Livia, who contributed to the formation of Imperial mores; and the empress Helena, a driving force in promoting Christianity.
Porticus of Livia: Begun by Augustus on the site of the house of Vedius Pollio (q.v.) in 15 B.C., and finished and dedicated to Livia in 7 B.C. (Cass. Dio LIV.23; LV.8; Suet. Aug. 29; Ov. Fast. VI.639). It is represented on three fragments of the Marble Plan (10, 11, 109), and was situated on the north slope of the Oppius on the south side of the clivus Suburanus, between this street and the later baths of Trajan. The porticus was rectangular, about 115 metres long and 75 wide, with an outer wall and double row of columns within.
The Colosseum is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone, it was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire, and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world.Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 70 AD, and was completed in 80 AD under his successor and heir Titus.
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the arena. Most were despised as slaves, schooled under harsh conditions, socially marginalized, and segregated even in death. Women were not allowed prime seating at gladiator events (with rare, notable exceptions).