Growing Up in Ancient Rome: The Lives of Roman Children

Imagine waking up in a bustling city where chariot races roar in the distance and grand stone temples tower over the streets. This was the daily reality for children growing up in the Roman Empire thousands of years ago. While their lives were very different from ours today, Roman children still played games, went to school, and had daily routines that shaped their lives.

For a Roman child, the day began at sunrise. Before stepping outside, they had to get dressed in the standard clothing of the time. Both boys and girls wore a simple garment called a tunic, which was a loose-fitting woolen shirt that reached down to their knees. Richer families used softer materials like linen or even silk. Around their necks, Roman children wore a special protective amulet. Boys wore a charm called a bulla, made of gold or leather, while girls wore a crescent-shaped charm called a lunula. These amulets were given to babies shortly after birth to ward off bad luck and evil spirits, and they were worn until the child grew up.

After a quick breakfast of bread and water, sometimes sweetened with honey, it was time for education. However, school in ancient Rome depended entirely on how wealthy a child's family was. Poor children rarely went to school; instead, they began working at an early age, helping their parents with farming, weaving, or running a shop. For wealthy children, education was highly valued. Young boys and some girls attended a primary school called a ludus. They did not have paper or pencils. Instead, they practiced writing by scratching letters into wooden tablets coated with wax, using a sharp metal stick called a stylus. If a family was very wealthy, they might have a private tutor—often an educated Greek slave called a pedagogus—who walked the children to school and helped them with their lessons.

When school and chores were finished, it was time to play. Roman children did not have video games, but they had plenty of imagination and many toys that would look familiar to us today. Girls played with dolls made of clay, wood, or wax, some of which even had jointed arms and legs so they could be posed. Boys and girls alike enjoyed rolling hoops with sticks, playing with spinning tops, and kicking balls made of leather and stuffed with feathers. A popular game involved "knucklebones," which were sheep bones used much like modern jacks. Children also played board games, using pebbles as markers on grids scratched into the stone steps of public buildings.

As the sun set, families gathered for their evening meal, and children prepared for bed. Growing up in the Roman Empire was full of hard work, strict rules, and preparation for adult life, but it was also a time for laughter, games, and friendship. Though they lived long ago, Roman children shared the same basic joys of play and learning that children experience today.