- "The term refers to the culture of the Roman Republic, later the Roman Empire, which at its peak covered an area from present-day Lowland Scotland and Morocco to the Euphrates."
The study of the everyday lives of ancient Greeks and Romans, including food, clothing, housing, and social customs.
Food and Agriculture: Describes the types of food and crops grown, livestock raised, cooking methods, and eating habits of ancient societies.
Clothing and Fashion: Explores the materials, designs, and styles of clothing worn by people in ancient times, including societal and cultural significance.
Social Classes and Hierarchy: Studies the structure of ancient societies, including the roles and privileges of different classes or groups of people.
Religious Beliefs and Practices: Examines the gods, rituals, and ceremonies that were prevalent in ancient cultures and their influence on daily life.
Housing and Architecture: Looks at the various types of homes and buildings constructed in ancient times, as well as their design, functionality, and cultural symbolism.
Education and Knowledge: Investigates the methods of learning and education available in ancient societies, including literary and artistic achievements.
Economy and Trade: Explores the systems of trade and commerce that existed in different ancient cultures, including agriculture, manufacturing, and bartering.
Gender Roles and Family Life: Analyzes the roles and responsibilities of men, women, and children within families and societies of ancient times.
Entertainment and Leisure: Examines the forms of entertainment that were popular in ancient cultures, such as sports, music, and theater.
Death and Funerary Rituals: Studies the beliefs and practices surrounding death and the afterlife in ancient cultures, including burial customs, mourning traditions, and religious ceremonies.
- "Its famed seven hills, and its monumental architecture such as the Colosseum, Trajan's Forum, and the Pantheon."
- "The city also had several theaters and gymnasia, along with many taverns, baths, and brothels."
- "Throughout the territory under ancient Rome's control, residential architecture ranged from very modest houses to country villas."
- "In the capital city of Rome, there were imperial residences on the elegant Palatine Hill, from which the word palace is derived."
- "The city of Rome was the largest megalopolis of that time, with a population that may well have exceeded one million people, with a high-end estimate of 3.6 million and a low-end estimate of 450,000."
- "The most urbanized part of the Empire was Italy, which had an estimated rate of urbanization of 32%, the same rate of urbanization of England in 1800."
- "The large urban population required an enormous supply of food, which was a complex logistical task, including acquiring, transporting, storing, and distribution of food for Rome and other urban centers."
- "There was a very large amount of commerce between the provinces of the Roman Empire since its roads and transportation technology were very efficient."
- "Starting in the middle of the 2nd century BC, private Greek culture was increasingly in ascendancy, in spite of tirades against the 'softening' effects of Hellenized culture from the conservative moralists."
- "By the time of Augustus, cultured Greek household slaves taught the Roman young (sometimes even the girls); chefs, decorators, secretaries, doctors, and hairdressers all came from the Greek East."
- "The Roman Empire began when Augustus became the first emperor of Rome in 31 BC and ended in the west when the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed by Odoacer in AD 476."
- "The influence of the Roman Empire on Western civilization was profound in its lasting contributions to virtually every aspect of Western culture."
- "By 285 AD, the Empire had grown too vast to be ruled from the central government at Rome and so was divided by Emperor Diocletian into a Western and an Eastern Roman Empire."
- "In the east, the Empire continued as the Byzantine Empire until the death of Constantine XI and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453."
- "The Roman Empire, at its height (c. AD 100), was the most extensive political and social structure in Western civilization."
- "Greek sculptures adorned Hellenistic landscape gardening on the Palatine or in the villas, or were imitated in Roman sculpture yards by Greek slaves."
- "Landlords generally resided in cities and their estates were left in the care of farm managers."
- "The plight of rural slaves was generally worse than their counterparts working in urban aristocratic households."
- "The urban population stopped growing and started to decline until the early 2nd century."