Roman Home and Family Flashcards
What is a gender role?
a culturally and socially determined set of expected behaviours, attitudes, and characteristics based on concepts of masculinity and femininity
What is the paterfamilias?
the oldest living male in a roman family and the head of a family
Who would the paterfamilias be the head of?
the extensive household, meaning the family but also slaves within the household.
What power did the paterfamilias have?
legal power over his entire household in early Roman times, this included the power of life and death.
What was the Latin word for the absolute power paterfamilias’ had?
Patria Patestas
What was the Paterfamilias responsible for? (3 examples)
-the welfare of the family
-education of children
-finding suitable marriages for his daughters
-purchase of slaves
-family worship and religious rights
What name were roman girls given?
the feminine name of their father
What were women expected to do in Rome?
spin wool and be loyal and hardworking at home
How young were girls betrothed?
10 years old
What were women expected to wear in public once they got engaged?
all the gifts their fiancé has sent them
What type of Paterfamilias’ were patrons ?
wealthy ones
What were the two classes in roman society
Patrician and Plebian
What was a Patrician and Plebian in the patron client system
the patrician was the patron
the plebian was the client
Why did clients need a patron?
Poorer Romans in need of money would attach them selves as clients to a wealthy man, the patron
What were clients expected to do in the morning?
Clients were expected to appear at their patron’s house at dawn every morning-called morning salutatio-; later, they might be required to accompany him to the forum or to the baths.
How did a patron benefit from the patron client system?
clients acted as their master’s supporters and were expected to vote for him if he ran for political office, so the more clients a patron had the more popular they would be giving them higher chances of getting a position of power.
What is a word used to describe the relationship between the patron and client?
reciprocal relationship
What did a client gain from the patron client system?
-they would receive sportula
-possible business opportunities
-if very lucky an invitation to dine with their patron
What is a sportula?
a gift or donation given to the poor
How would a person get a patron?
they would inherit their father’s patron
What does Thalamus’ inscription show about the patron client system?
That clients often showed support for their patrons in elections
What would roman boys learn at home?
the trades of their father, basic literacy and numeracy
What would roman girls learn at home?
how to manage a household from their mother
What was the roman educational system influenced by?
Greek civilisation
Where would schools in Rome be located?
-simple room
-perhaps the back room of a shop
-room in a house or apartment building
-in public places
What does the graffiti on the side of a column talk about?
a teacher thanking parents for paying the child’s school fees
What does the graffiti on the side of a column tell us about school in Rome?
Teachers were paid large amounts of money
TRUE OR FALSE
School fees were expensive.
false school fees were cheap
What does Martial say about school in Rome?
He expresses his deep hatred for his teacher and how early school began
What does Martials comment on school in Rome show about how it was like?
Shows that teachers were harsh
shows both girls and boys were educated
shows school starts really early
Why would school in rome begin really early?
allowed the teacher to make the most use of the quietest time of day, before the streets filled up with people conducting their business.
TRUE OR FALSE:
there were no exams in roman schools
True
What was corporal punishment?
used as a was to enforce discipline , often involved flogging
What was the first stage of education called?
The litterator
At what age would a child join the litterator?
7-12
What subjects would students study at the litterator?
reading, writing and basic arithmetic
What was education like at the stage of the litterator?
-very repetitive as students would practice writing letters and after that copy out phrases
What were some pieces of equipment used at the litterator stage?
wax tablets
stilus
papyrus
pen and ink
What does the “dairy of a roman schoolboy” talk about
-what a roman school class was like
-the activities that take place
-the equipment needed for school
What does “dairy of a roman schoolboy” tell us about the litterator stage of roman education?
-wealthy students had slaves to carry their stuff around
-they wrote on wax tablets
-the lesson were very repetitive
-classes were very small
What was the second stage of of roman education
The Grammaticus
At what age would a child be at the Grammaticus?
at ages 12-16 if their family was wealthy enough
What would students mostly study in the Grammaticus?
Greek and roman language and literature
What writers were often studied in the Grammaticus?
Cicero, Livy, Virgil, Horace and Ovid
What was a standard text students would study in the Grammaticus?
Virgil’s Aeneid
Why was Greek taught in the Grammaticus?
This was considered the language of educated people, partly because there had been so many great thinkers and writers in the ancient Greek world
It was also because most of the eastern roman empire spoke it.
What other subjects were studied in the Grammaticus?
music, astronomy, philosophy and natural science
What was the third stage of Roman education?
The Rhetor
Who would be able to move onto the school of the rhetor?
children from very privileged families
At what age would a child join the rhetor?
16
What was the main subject at the rhetor?
public speaking
Why was public speaking so important in rome?
a successful public figure in Rome had to be able to speak well in front of a large crowd of people
What were students taught at the Rhetor?
-how to write speeches
-how to deliver speeches-with facial expression and hand gestures
-how to debate
What was a Cena
Roman dinner party
Who were Cena’s important for?
wealthy romans
What would the Paterfamilias use a cena for?
to promote and confirm his social status
to make business partners
Which groups of people were sometimes invited to a cena?
freedmen and clients
When would a cena typically begin?
late afternoon, after the host and guests had spent time at the baths
What would guests to a cena wear?
formal evening clothes- (togas for men and stolas for women)
What was the first thing that was done at a cena?
admire the art and paintings in the house before being shown by a slave into the triclinium
What does triclinium mean?
three couch room
How would guests sit to eat?
-Guests would recline on these couches as they ate (normally with three guests to a couch).
-Couches were covered in mattresses for comfort and each place was divided by cushions.
-Guests lay in the reclining position, leaning on their left elbows.
TRUE OR FALSE:
seating and arrangement at a cena did not matter
False: it was a sign of the social status of the
guests
Where was the seat of highest status?
at the low end of the medium couch
Why did the middle couch hold the most status?
faced out towards the entrance to the triclinium and, leaning on one’s left elbow this usually offered the best view of a garden or works of art opposite
Where was the seat of the cena host?
high end of the low couch as it was next to the guest of honour seat
How many courses were in a roman dinner party?
3
What was the first course of the roman dinner party made up of?
light appetisers such as eggs, olives and or salads which was often followed by mulsum
what is mulsum
a type of wine sweetened by honey
What did the second course of a roman dinner party consist of?
the main course: selection of meats or fish with vegetables and a variety of sauces
What did the final course of a roman dinner party consist of ?
desserts: consist of fruit, nuts or simple sweet- cakes
How would the host show off at a cena?
by serving a variety of foods and recipes, as well as good quality wine, both red and white
How would some hosts serve food?
serve different qualities of food and wine to guests depending on their social classes
Give one wealthy roman that disapproves of giving people of different classes different food?
Pliny
What were the forms of entertainment at a cena?
-extended session of drinking wine
-dancers
-acrobats and clowns
-gambling
-discussions about the literature and philosophy
What were special about the drinking session?
Romans always watered down their wine, perhaps by adding as much as
four-fifths of water to one-fifth of wine
What is the ‘inscription by a dinner party host’ about?
lists the standards the host expected from his guests
What does the ‘inscription by a dinner party host’ tell us about a cena?
-guests should have their feet washed by slaves and take care not to dirty the furniture. -male diners are not to flirt with another man’s wife
-diners should go home if they are likely to start an argument.
