''Meet the Romans with Mary Beard'' is a 2012 BBC documentary series written and presented by Mary Beard about the ordinary citizens of

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

, the world's first metropolis. It was repeated in 2020.BBC official page
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Episode one: All Roads Lead to Rome

Beard takes the

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, rec ...

to Rome to show the lives of ordinary citizens in imperial times, those citizens who would be in the top seats of the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world to ...

. She takes a boat to Rome's port Ostia, where imported goods come from all over the Mediterranean, and she takes us into the bowels of

Monte Testaccio Monte Testaccio (; alternatively spelled Monte Testaceo; also known as Monte dei cocci) is an artificial mound in Rome composed almost entirely of ''testae'' ( it, cocci), fragments of broken ancient Roman pottery, nearly all discarded amphorae da ...

. She features extraordinary Romans such as Eurysaces, a baker who made a fortune in the

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...

and built his tomb in the shape of a giant bread oven; Pupius Amicus, the purple dye seller making imperial dye from shellfish imported from Tunisia; and Baricha, Zabda and Achiba, three prisoners of war who became Roman citizens. UK viewing figures: 1.97 million

Episode two: Street life

She goes into the streets to discover the dirt, crime, sex and slum conditions in the world's first high-rise city, where the poorer you were the higher you lived with little space, light, or sanitation. Rooms that were only slept in forced the poor to go outdoors into the city streets to eat, wash, get water and go to the lavatory. She looks at the

Roman Forum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient ...

as a place of gamblers, dentists, thieves, prostitutes and rent boys. A huge wall separated the rich from the poor in their wooden tenements that often caught fire, with no proper fire service to put them out. At night the streets were a mugger's paradise with no police force. Politicians who tried to provide social services were murdered lest they become too popular. UK viewing figures: 1.87 million

Episode three: Behind Closed Doors

To learn about their family life, Beard looks at the thousands of tombstones of ordinary Romans, their children and slaves. Unwanted babies were left outside to die. Of the children that were wanted, half died by the age of ten. Children were put to work at manual labour as soon as they were able, often from the age of five. Schooling for the few would be for boys only, learning to read and write, practise public speaking, and appreciate poetry. Few girls were married as early as the age of twelve, but many more were given away in their teenage years. One tombstone belonged to a 16-year-old girl murdered by her husband. Childbirth was equally dangerous with the tools available at the time. Slaves were regarded as part of the family and used as sex slaves. Masters and mistresses often married their freed slaves; other slaves were buried in the same tomb as their masters. UK viewing figures: 2.00 million

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title , 2656614 , Meet the Romans with Mary Beard 2010s British documentary television series 2012 British television series debuts 2012 British television series endings Television series about ancient Rome BBC television documentaries about prehistoric and ancient history

Episode one: All Roads Lead to Rome

Episode two: Street life

Episode three: Behind Closed Doors

See also

References

External links