Sources - Social Life And Entertainment (Food and drink, Patronage, Baths, Religion, Chariot racing, The amphitheatre) Flashcards
Source on food and drink: Martial
MARTIAL
- Poor had worse food, e.g. mussels or magpie, rich had luxurious food e.g. oysters, dove
- Food of the poor had worse taste and texture
- Entertainment was chosen by the master/host
- Entertainment could be specific to guests to please or show off
Source on food and drink: Horace
HORACE
- Varied diet depending on location - more luxurious in cities
- Country diets similar to slaves/poor as food wasn’t easy to collect so had to be preserved
- Country people were skinnier
- Large dinner parties held in the cities
- Food was always tasted by slaves first to provide a relaxing event
- Masses of leftovers would be consumed the next day or next party
- Food could be dyed different colours
Source on food and drink: Ovid
- Food was left at tombs as offerings to the Gods
Source on patronage: Martial
MARTIAL
- Patrons could be paid to come to dinner
- Clients would eat worse food at dinners
- Clients had to visit patrons first thing in the morning, regardless of their distance or condition
- Clients must call patrons, “My Lord”
- Clients worked very hard for very little and were often tired. Patrons earned a lot for very little time given.
- Want-to-be clients would pester a patron with compliments until they were invited to dinner
Source on baths: Columella
COLUMELLA
- Baths should face the summer sunset to give maximum light hours
- Farmhouses had baths that slaves could use on holidays (baths contributed to laziness that was not desired in a slave)
Source on baths: Martial
MARTIAL
- Patron-hunters often hung around at the baths
- The rich could have private baths
Source on baths: Seneca
SENECA
- Public baths were noisy
- Also at the baths were weights for lifting, rub-downs/massages, ball games, singing and hair pluckers
- Food was served at the baths
Source on religion: Columella
COLUMELLA
- The foreman could be religious but could not perform sacrifices or be associated with witches or soothsayers
Source on religion: OVID - at the races
OVID - At the races
- Gods were dedicated to everything
Source on religion: OVID - fasti
OVID - Fasti
- Tombs were honoured with small gifts as Gods in the Styx were not greedy
- Legends that unhonoured dead once rose up and haunted the cities
- There were eleven days for worshipping/honouring the dead
Source on chariot racing: Martial
MARTIAL
- Winning chariot races earned a lot of money
- Chariot racing took place in a circus
Source on chariot racing: Ovid
OVID
- People went to races to find love (sometimes)
- The races were a great spectacle with team colours
- Chariots were pulled by four horses
- Some private bets were held)
Source on the amphitheatre: Augustine
AUGUSTINE
- People loved games at the ampitheatre to the point of obsession and would crowd in and drag friends along
- A fight was only over when someone died
- A huge cheer would go up when a fight was won
- People would grow to love the events, they “derived pleasure from the wickedness of the contest, and became drunk with bloodlust.”
Source on the amphitheatre: Augustus
AUGUSTUS
- Games were often put on in the name of leaders or Gods or those associated with them
- 10 000 fighters at a Games
- Fighters and animals would be imported from other parts of the world
Gladiators: Pros
Pros - money, fame, ladies, fancy gravestone, adrenaline, buy freedom, exciting
