Everything you wanted to ask about the ancient Roman Empire | History Hotline

Summary

The script features a playful, educational exchange at the British Museum, where children call in with various questions about ancient Rome. Curators answer queries ranging from the duration of the Roman Empire, the lives of emperors, and the daily activities of Romans, to more unusual topics like Roman junk food and bathroom habits. Through these interactions, the children learn about the vast reach of the Roman Empire, its complex social structure, and the everyday life of its people, presented in an engaging and accessible manner.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The British Museum is home to a legendary 'mysterious phone' that appears when children have questions about history.
• 🗣️ Carolina, a curator of Roman archaeology, explains that the Roman Empire lasted around 2,000 years and was vast, covering much of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
• 👑 The Roman Empire had numerous emperors, with Augustus being the first, and some emperors ruled for as briefly as 22 days.
• 🏡 Archaeological findings, like the Vindolanda tablets, provide insights into Roman daily life, including social interactions and leisure activities.
• 🎉 The oldest surviving birthday party invitation in the world was found, showcasing Romans' social events and the earliest known female handwriting from Britain.
• 🎲 Romans enjoyed games and entertainment, including board games, gambling, and events at arenas like the Coliseum.
• 🛁 Public bathhouses were popular among Romans for socializing and bathing, featuring advanced heating systems for comfort.
• 👥 Daily life in ancient Rome varied greatly between citizens, non-citizens, and slaves, with citizens enjoying full legal protection and privileges.
• 🍕 Recent discoveries suggest that Romans ate pizza, and their diet included a variety of foods, some of which were considered delicacies.
• 🏰 Roman soldiers' facilities, like latrines, were communal and lacked privacy, using shared sponges on sticks for hygiene.
• 💰 Roman soldiers' earnings varied based on their role, length of service, and promotions, with some earning additional pay for specialized roles like cavalry.

Q & A

How long did the Roman Empire last?

The Roman Empire lasted around 2,000 years ago, starting from when ancient Rome was ruled by kings and ending with the fall of the empire.

What was the extent of the Roman Empire at its peak?

The Roman Empire covered most of Europe, stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles, across to the Middle East, and down into the deserts of North Africa.

What was the population of the Roman Empire at its height?

The Roman Empire may have had between 50 to 90 million people, which could have been about 20 to 25% of the world's population at the time.

Who were some of the Roman emperors mentioned in the script?

Some of the Roman emperors mentioned include Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, and Vespasian.

What did Romans do in their free time?

Romans enjoyed spending time with friends and family, attending local events, playing games, and visiting bath houses. They also had objects like toy swords and dice for entertainment.

What is the significance of the Vindolanda tablets found in England?

The Vindolanda tablets are significant because they provide insights into daily Roman life, including the oldest surviving birthday party invitation and the earliest known female handwriting from Britain.

How did daily life in ancient Rome differ between citizens and slaves?

Citizens had the full protection of Roman law, access to better jobs, and could even become politicians. Non-citizens had paths towards citizenship, while slaves had no rights, were considered property, and often had hard lives.

What was the diet of Romans like, and did they eat anything similar to pizza?

Romans ate a variety of foods, including special meats and delicacies. Recent discoveries suggest they did eat a form of pizza, and they seasoned their food with sauces like garum, made from rotting fish.

What were the facilities like for Roman soldiers when it came to using the restroom?

Roman soldiers used public latrines, which were often located next to bath houses. These latrines had no privacy, and instead of toilet paper, Romans used sponges on sticks.

What language did the Romans speak, and how did it influence the empire?

The official language of the Roman Empire was Latin, used in important documents and by the army. The empire's vast size meant numerous languages were spoken, but Latin served as a unifying language.

What were the requirements for joining the Roman Army, and how much did soldiers earn?

Roman Army recruits had to meet a minimum height requirement and provide a letter of recommendation. They underwent rigorous training and learned discipline. Soldiers' earnings varied based on their role and length of service, with Roman legionaries in Britain earning about 300 denari a year.

Did women serve in the Roman army, and what roles did they play in military life?

Women were not allowed to be soldiers in the Roman army, but they were part of military life as family members of soldiers. They traveled with the army and were involved in camp life. One notable example is Empress Julia Domna, who was given the title 'Mother of the Camp'.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Roman Empire History and Leisure

The script introduces a mythical phone at the British Museum that appears when children have historical questions. Isaac asks about the duration and extent of the Roman Empire, leading to a discussion by curator Carolina on Roman archaeology. She explains that Rome evolved from a kingdom to a republic and then an empire under Emperor Augustus. The empire was vast, covering much of Europe, the British Isles, the Middle East, and North Africa, with a population possibly representing 20-25% of the world's total. Leisure activities of Romans are explored, including the Vindolanda tablets, which provide insight into daily life, such as a birthday party invitation written by Claudia Severa. Other leisure activities mentioned include games, attending the Coliseum for sports and fights, and the use of public bathhouses, which were social hubs with central heating.

05:03

🛁 Daily Life in Ancient Rome

Elizabeth inquires about the differences in daily life between Roman citizens and slaves. Carolina explains the legal and social distinctions, with citizens enjoying full legal protection and better job opportunities, non-citizens having a path to citizenship, often through military service, and slaves having no rights and being considered property. The script also touches on Roman food, with a recent discovery in Pompeii suggesting that pizza was part of their diet. Wealthy Romans could enjoy exotic meats, and a sauce called garum, made from rotting fish, was used for flavoring. Adam asks about Roman sanitation, leading to a discussion about public latrines, which were communal and lacked privacy, and the use of sponges on sticks for hygiene. The script mentions a unique Roman toilet designed like a chariot.

10:06

🛡️ Roman Army and Language

Annabelle asks about the selection process for the Roman Army. The script explains that Romans typically volunteered, with height being a basic requirement, and that recruits needed a letter of recommendation. Training was rigorous, focusing on physical fitness, discipline, and tactics like the Testudo formation. Marcel inquires about soldiers' pay, which varied based on role and seniority, with examples given for legionaries, auxiliaries, and cavalry. Adam asks if women served in the army; while they were not soldiers, they often accompanied their husbands, as in the case of Empress Julia Domna, who was given the title 'Mother of the Camp'. The script concludes with a discussion on the official language of Rome, Latin, and the linguistic diversity within the empire.

Keywords

💡Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was a vast and powerful civilization that lasted from 27 BC to 476 AD, covering much of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. In the video, the Roman Empire is discussed in terms of its longevity, territorial extent, and population size, which could have been about 20 to 25% of the world's population at the time. The empire's influence is a central theme, as it sets the stage for many of the questions asked, such as the lifestyle of its citizens, the military, and the cultural practices.

💡Augustus

Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the first emperor of the Roman Empire, ruling from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. His reign marked the transition from the Roman Republic to the Empire. In the script, Augustus is mentioned as the beginning of the imperial period of Rome, indicating a shift in the political structure and the start of a long line of emperors.

💡Vindolanda tablets

The Vindolanda tablets are ancient Roman wooden writing tablets discovered in the ruins of the fort at Vindolanda in northern England. They provide a unique insight into daily life in the Roman era. The script highlights one of the tablets as a birthday party invitation, showcasing the oldest surviving birthday party invitation and the earliest known female handwriting from Britain, thus illustrating the personal and social aspects of Roman life.

💡Coliseum

The Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was an oval amphitheater in the center of Rome, Italy. It is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. In the video, the Coliseum is mentioned as a place where Romans attended events such as sports, gladiator fights, and beast fights, reflecting the entertainment culture of the Roman Empire.

💡Public bath houses

Public bath houses, or thermae, were an essential part of Roman culture, serving as places for hygiene, relaxation, and socialization. They were equipped with hypocaust heating systems, which provided central heating. The script describes how Romans would meet at these facilities to bathe and socialize, indicating the importance of communal living spaces in Roman society.

💡Citizen vs. Slave

The distinction between citizens and slaves in ancient Rome is a significant aspect of the social hierarchy. Citizens had rights and protections under Roman law, could hold jobs, and participate in politics, while slaves had no rights and were considered property. The script contrasts the lives of citizens and slaves, emphasizing the stark differences in their social status and daily experiences within the empire.

💡Roman Army

The Roman Army was the military force of ancient Rome and played a critical role in the expansion and maintenance of the empire. The script discusses the criteria for joining the army, such as height requirements and the need for a recommendation letter, as well as the training and discipline required. It also touches on the different roles within the army, such as legionaries and cavalry, and the financial compensation they received.

💡Latin

Latin was the official language of the Roman Empire and was used for important documents, administration, and military communication. The script mentions Latin as the common language that facilitated communication across the diverse regions of the empire, highlighting the role of language in maintaining the cohesion and governance of such a vast territory.

💡Gladiator fights

Gladiator fights were a form of public entertainment in ancient Rome, where pairs of fighters, usually slaves, prisoners of war, or condemned criminals, would fight to the death in the Coliseum. The script refers to these fights as a popular form of entertainment, illustrating the brutal and dramatic aspects of Roman culture.

💡Historical artifacts

Historical artifacts, such as the Vindolanda tablets and the Ribchester helmet mentioned in the script, are physical remnants of the past that provide valuable insights into the lives of people in ancient civilizations. These objects help historians and archaeologists reconstruct the daily life, social structures, and cultural practices of the Roman Empire, making them central to understanding the narrative of the video.

💡Social hierarchy

The social hierarchy in ancient Rome was complex and stratified, with distinct classes such as citizens, non-citizens, and slaves. The script explores this hierarchy by discussing the different life experiences and opportunities available to each class, emphasizing the inequality and the privileges associated with social status within the empire.

Highlights

A mysterious phone in the British Museum appears when there are enough children with questions about history.

The Roman Empire once spanned much of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, covering 20-25% of the world's population.

The Vindolanda tablet contains the oldest known birthday party invitation and the earliest known female handwriting in Britain.

Roman dice were sometimes weighted to ensure they always rolled sixes, revealing cheating in ancient games.

Romans attended gladiator fights, beast battles, and sports events in large arenas, similar to modern stadiums but more gruesome.

Roman public bathhouses, popular especially in winter, used central heating systems called hypocausts.

Daily life in Rome varied greatly between citizens, non-citizens, and slaves, with slaves having no rights and being considered property.

Recent archaeological findings in Pompeii suggest that ancient Romans may have eaten something resembling modern pizza.

Roman soldiers used communal latrines with no privacy and shared sponges attached to sticks for wiping instead of toilet paper.

The Roman Army had a strict height requirement for recruits, and joining the Army was a popular path to citizenship.

Roman cavalry soldiers wore elaborate helmets resembling theatre masks and received extra pay to care for their horses.

Women were not allowed to serve in the Roman army, but the Empress Julia Domna was known as the 'Mother of the Camp' for traveling with her husband's soldiers.

Roman soldiers used a battle formation called the Testudo, or tortoise, to create a protective shield wall.

Roman slaves could be born into slavery or sold into it, often moved to new places with different languages and no rights.

The fresco recently discovered in Pompeii might depict the oldest known image of pizza.

Transcripts

It sounds like a phone... There's a legend of a  

mysterious phone hidden somewhere here  in the bowels of the British Museum...

And the story goes that when there are enough  children with questions about history it appears  

on a curator's desk. So I wonder which curator  it's going to appear for today? Hello this is  

the British Museum how can I help? Hi I am  Isaac can you tell me how long did the Roman  

Empire last and how big was it? That's a really  good question I'm Carolina and I'm a curator of  

Roman archaeology here at the British Museum so  I guess there's probably going to be a lot of  

questions about the Romans today. The ancient  Romans lived around 2,000 years ago. When we  

think about the ancient Romans we may think about  the Roman Empire in all the vast amounts of land  

that they conquered but before it became an empire  ancient Rome was originally ruled by kings. This  

meant that normally the son of the king would take  over as the next king or ruler until it became a  

republic meaning that its leaders were mostly  elected or that is to say, chosen. Don't let  

this fool you into thinking that Roman elections  were fair though those elected or chosen had to be  

from the oldest and richest families but around  the year 31 BC everything changed and Rome got  

its first Emperor Augustus. The Roman Empire was  so huge it covered most of Europe and stretched  

from the Iberian Peninsula modern day Portugal  and Spain up to the British Isles across to the  

Middle East and down into the deserts of North  Africa the Roman Empire may have had between 50  

to 90 million people which at the time could have  been about 20 to 25% of the world's population. 

Hello British Museum. I'm Aisha what  were the names of the Roman emperors?

Okay Aisha are you ready for this? I have  them written down here: Augustus, Tiberius,  

Caligula, Claudius, then Nero, Galba, Otho,  Vellus, Vespasian, Titus… okay I give up!  

There were a lot of Roman emperors. In the time  that the Roman Empire endured in Europe we had  

maybe even hundreds of Emperors. In fact it  was a dangerous game being a Roman Emperor!  

We had two Roman emperors that only lasted  for 22 days! Greece and Rome study room! 

Hi I'm Nasaber what did the Romans do in the  free time? What a good question Nasaber but it's  

actually very difficult to answer. Archaeology  gives us some interesting insights into what  

Romans enjoy doing in their free time. When we  excavate Roman towns and houses, we find all kinds  

of objects that they used in their day-to-day.  The Romans were just like us and they loved their  

time they like to spend time with their friends  and their family I'll show you some of the best,  

or actually some of my favourite objects that we  have in our collection. This object is one of the  

famous Vindolanda tablets. Vindolanda was a fort  in the north of England where soldiers and their  

families and other military communities lived.  Archaeologists have found many tablets just like  

this one at the site these tablets are made of  wood and they were written on by Romans just  

like sheets of paper. This is one of my favourite  tablets because it's a birthday party invitation.  

A woman named Claudia Severa is inviting her  friend who is named Lepidina to her birthday  

party. What's really special about this invitation  is it's actually the oldest surviving birthday  

party invitation in the world and it's the  earliest known female handwriting from Britain. We  

even know that Claudia Severa's birthday is on the  11th of September and I love that we know that.  

People in the ancient world also like to play  games here's a child's toy sword. These are dice  

that were used to play board games and gamble. We  even know that some Romans like to cheat we know  

this because archaeologists have found weighted  dice which almost always roll sixes. It's very  

naughty. Romans would also attend local events  in arenas which were not too different from our  

modern stadiums. The most famous one in the  ancient times was called the Coliseum and it  

was in Rome but they had many others in Roman  towns which could seat hundreds and sometimes  

even thousands of people. They would watch sports  Gladiator fights and Beast fights which were a  

lot more gruesome than anything we would get in  our stadiums. Finally another very Roman way of  

passing the day was in a bath house. Most Romans  would have used public bath houses where they  

would meet up with their friends and bathe in warm  water. These were popular places especially in  

winter because they had central heating! The bath  house floors were built on top of hyper costs this  

left a gap underneath the floor where the heat of  the furnace could go up the walls were built with  

hollow tiles called box flu tiles so the warm air  could travel through the walls and warm the rooms  

and the pools. Hello Carolina speaking. My name is  Elizabeth and I want to ask how did daily life in  

ancient Rome differ between citizens and slaves.  Hey Elizabeth if you lived in the Roman Empire you  

were either a citizen, a non-citizen or a slave  and life could be extremely different for each.  

I'll explain it further if you were a citizen you  had the full protection of the Roman law you could  

get the best jobs and you'd probably get paid  better and you could even become a politician for  

example. If you were a non-citizen you didn't  have all these rights but you did have paths  

towards becoming a citizen. The most popular way  to become a citizen was to join the Army. After  

25 years of service, yes that's a whole 25 years  you and your family would be given citizenship  

and you'd get a military diploma so that you could  prove that. And your children would grow up with  

all those privileges you if you didn't die first  however life was very different if you were a  

slave enslaved people in Rome could be born into  slavery or they could even be sold into slavery  

when they were children and it would have been  a very hard life. Many slaves were brought from  

conquered territory from all over the Empire this  meant that they were moved across the known world  

to strange places with different weather and  food and of course even a whole new language.  

Enslaved people in the ancient Roman world had no  rights at all they were considered the property  

of those who owned them. The enslaved couldn't  even own any property couldn't even get married! 

Hello Department of Greece and Rome. Hello my  name is Rayan did Romans eat junk food like

Pizza? Well Ryan you may have seen in the news  recently that a very recent discovery of a fresco  

in Pompeii reveals that they did eat pizza! This  might even be the oldest image of Pizza in the  

world now if you were wealthy you could afford to  eat special rare types of meat what we would call  

delicacies as a Roman you might even like to eat  the delicacy of a dormouse! Yes they did eat mice! 

But they also season their food with something  called garam. Which is a sauce made from rotting  

fish it actually did add a lot of flavour. Oh another one hello this is the British  

Museum! My name is Adam and I want to ask where  did the Roman soldiers go to the loo? I think  

this might be one of my favourite questions Adam!  Roman towns and forts had public bathrooms for  

the people who lived there. These are sometimes  called latrines they could be different sizes  

and they were found in different buildings  but they were most often found next to the  

bath house the latrines had seats with a hole  through them on a large bench. But there were  

no cubicles or doors so you couldn't get any  privacy and you'd probably be sitting next to  

someone else who was also going to the bathroom  at the same time might even have a nice chat.

Actually there was no toilet paper either there so  Romans used sponges that were attached to sticks  

for wiping! Which was also shared of course. If  you were very rich it was different. You could  

have your own private bathroom probably even  in your house or you might use a chamber pot  

which your servants would have to empty  and you wouldn't have to worry about. In  

our collection we have one of the fanciest  toilets I have ever seen it's a Roman toilet  

but it was made to look like a Roman chariot.  Hello this is Carolina how can I help you? Hello  

my name is Tasmia. I'd like to know what language  did the Romans speak? That's a really interesting  

question. There was actually one official language  that was used in Rome and it was used on important  

documents it was also the language used by  the Roman army and that was called Latin. The  

Roman Empire covered such a large area it included  numerous different languages. Even within the same  

family there might have been several languages  spoken. Many people in your school for example  

might speak different languages if they have  parents who come from different places. Hello  

British Museum. My name is Annabelle and I want  to ask how did a Roman get chosen to be in the  

Army? That's a good question Annabelle the Romans  didn't normally force their citizens to join the  

Army what we would call conscription. Most of them  would volunteer to join but the Army did have a  

strict rules for who could serve as a soldier. The  first and the simplest rule was height. There was  

no age limit so even children could join the Army  but you did have to be a certain height recruits  

had to be at least 5' 10 in Roman feet. Now Roman  measurements were a little different from ours so  

this would be closer to 172 cm. Thankfully I'm  too short to join the Army. Hopeful recruits  

also needed to provide a letter of recommendation  to be allowed in. If you wanted to join the elite  

Roman Legions not just any letter would do  it needed to come from someone important and  

it needed to say some very good things about you.  After they volunteered to join the recruits would  

have to undergo gruelling training they needed to  be very strong and very fit to succeed. But that  

wasn't all recruits needed to learn discipline.  This meant a soldier needed to take orders and  

follow rules which meant they would need to  learn how to follow rules in battle. And when  

the ancient Romans were in battle they would do  certain things to help them win. The most famous  

of these was the Roman battle formation called  the Testudo or tortoise. This was a type of  

Shield wall used by the Roman Legions. Soldiers  protected themselves with shields creating a  

protective cover a little bit like a tortoise  shell. If soldiers were of a similar height it  

made it a bit easier to do. Anyone who could not  keep up with this training or follow these rules  

would be sent back home. So there you have it.  Four things Romans needed to join the Roman Army. 

Hello this is the British Museum how can I help?  My name is Marcel and I want to ask how much did a  

Roman soldier earn well Marcel it all depended on  what role they had in the Roman army and even how  

long they spent in the army or if they could get  a promotion. Provided you could read and write you  

could be promoted into lots of different roles.  I'll give you some examples the Roman legionaries  

in Britain at the time of Hadrian’s wall would  have earned about 300 denari a year while the  

auxiliaries who were non-citizen soldiers would  have earned about 250 denari a year. Some soldiers  

rode horses during battle this is called a Roman  Cavalry. Roman Cavalry men were considered very  

skilled and very impressive and they even put on  parades. They would wear amazing helmets with face  

masks that look almost like theatre masks this is  the Ribchester helmet which would have been used  

by a cavalryman. In Britain, Roman Cavalry men  also had to pay for their horse’s care and food so  

they got an extra 50 to 100 silver coins a year.  Hello this is the History Hotline. My name is Adam  

and I want to ask did women serve in the Roman  army? Thank you for that question Adam women were  

actually not allowed to be soldiers in the Roman  army but they did spend a lot of time with the  

soldiers. Soldiers sometimes travelled with their  families so they brought along their one wives and  

their children. Enslaved people would have also  travelled and worked for the soldiers and that  

included men women and children. There was one  very famous woman who travelled with her husband  

and his army and this was the empress Julia Domna  who was the wife of the emperor Septimius Severus  

and he was actually the first emperor of African  descent. She travelled and camped with her husband  

and his soldiers in fact she was so popular in  the camp that she was given the title of Mater  

Castorum which is Latin for ‘mother of the camp’.  This was such an important part of her public  

image it was even minted on her coins. Now if you  think her hair looks a little weird it's because  

she wore a wig over her hair. Soldiers had to  crop their hair to avoid getting lice when they  

were living in such close quarters and camping out  together. We think it might even be possible that  

Julia Domna did the same so she wouldn't get lice! Well those were some really great questions! Thank  

you! I wonder where the history hotline's  going to go next? Oh is it that phone again…