What and where is the forum
- Macellum
- Imperial Cult Building/Macellum
- Imperial Cult Building
- Genius of Augustus/Imperial Cult Building
- Sanctuary of the Genius of Augustus
- Genius of Augustus/Eumachia Building
- Eumachia Building
The forum is the towns centre where all the people of Pompeii go, this is the political and social heart of the town, this is like all of the Roman towns. In the forum there are the most important buildings for example the the municipal offices, the basilica (court-house), the principal temples (such as the Capitolium), and the macellum (market). Before the eruption there was construction around the forum such as building new market stalls in front of many of the forum buildings. This evidence shows how important this area was in the everyday lives of those who lived there.
The forum in Pompeii was large open space that has a long oblong shape in other words its the main city square home to the towns main civic, commercial and religious buildings. The life of a Roman would of been seen as relaxed to those who didn't have to spend there days working in shop stalls or a slave doing there masters bidding, but other than that those then life as Romans could meet everyday to gossip, run businesses or worship.
a silent virtual tour of the roman forum
The daily life of a Roman
Depending on whether you were rich or poor it would effect what you did in your everyday life. All this tells us what 1st century BC was like and how they went about day to day.
The morning of a rich person would go something like this.
Breakfast (lentaclum) this consisted of bread, cheese and water
Then there children would go to school,
Then walk down to the Forum to the marketplace for some shopping or banking.
Go to the baths, rest time some would have a sleep because often it was often really hot outside and no one wanted to do much at this time. Most shops closed around this time for a short period until the afternoon came.
Lunch (pradium) was bread, eggs, fish, fruit and vegetables
In the afternoon it would be rest time again put your feet up and reflect upon the day, usually spent with friends just catching up.
Dinner (cena) the rich had 3-7 courses wore togas and had a special dish to impress there guests. A dinner party was what you wanted to get invited to. They were to show off since the bigger the better these were very fancy and was an honour to get invited to one, there were many dinner parties, the evening was the best time of the day.
The rich drank wine sweetened with honey.
For the poor it was quite different
Breakfast was bread, cheese and water
Then there children would go to school
They would open up there shops or the shop of those they work for
Lunch consisted of much the same bread vegetables, eggs and fruit.
There was no rest for those who couldn't afford it they worked constantly trying to pay there taxes and other expenses needed
At dinner those who didn't eat at dinner parties would each porridge
To drink water wasn't all that clean so they drank a lot ot wine the poor drank watered down wine sometimes it was watered down with vinegar.
The morning of a rich person would go something like this.
Breakfast (lentaclum) this consisted of bread, cheese and water
Then there children would go to school,
Then walk down to the Forum to the marketplace for some shopping or banking.
Go to the baths, rest time some would have a sleep because often it was often really hot outside and no one wanted to do much at this time. Most shops closed around this time for a short period until the afternoon came.
Lunch (pradium) was bread, eggs, fish, fruit and vegetables
In the afternoon it would be rest time again put your feet up and reflect upon the day, usually spent with friends just catching up.
Dinner (cena) the rich had 3-7 courses wore togas and had a special dish to impress there guests. A dinner party was what you wanted to get invited to. They were to show off since the bigger the better these were very fancy and was an honour to get invited to one, there were many dinner parties, the evening was the best time of the day.
The rich drank wine sweetened with honey.
For the poor it was quite different
Breakfast was bread, cheese and water
Then there children would go to school
They would open up there shops or the shop of those they work for
Lunch consisted of much the same bread vegetables, eggs and fruit.
There was no rest for those who couldn't afford it they worked constantly trying to pay there taxes and other expenses needed
At dinner those who didn't eat at dinner parties would each porridge
To drink water wasn't all that clean so they drank a lot ot wine the poor drank watered down wine sometimes it was watered down with vinegar.