The Roman Empire was vast, encompassing Western Europe, parts of the Middle East, and North Africa. The Romans were diverse, conquered by the military, and allowed to continue their own religions and cultures. They built roads, sanitation systems, and public baths. Roman medicine was advanced, and entertainment was provided to distract from daily life.
The Romans were members of the Roman Empire, which reached its height during the first and second centuries AD The Roman Empire encompassed most of Western Europe, controlling countries such as Britannia (England and Wales), Hispania (Spain), Gaul (France) and Achaia (Greece). The Roman Empire also included parts of the Middle East, known during the Roman period as Judea, and large areas of the North African coast. The empire was centrally controlled from Rome. Because the Roman Empire was so large, its people were extremely diverse, and those who identified as Romans may not have been born in Rome, or even Italy, but were born in areas controlled by the Roman Empire.
The populations were conquered by the formidable Roman military. To avoid revolts, conquered peoples were allowed to continue following their own religions and cultures and to worship their own deities. This meant that the culture of the Roman Empire was incredibly diverse. Roman life absorbed many influences from other nations, especially the Greeks. This included philosophies, laws, gods and architecture.
The Romans were an industrious and evolved people, and throughout the empire they built a network of roads to make travel and transport easier. The Romans understood the need for sanitation, cleanliness, and clean water, even if they didn’t fully understand the science behind it. The Romans built aqueducts to ensure clean drinking water and were responsible for the world’s first public health regimes. Public baths were built for the entire population, regardless of class or social standing. The Romans also built sanitation systems and public toilets designed to take waste away.
Roman society was medically advanced compared to other civilizations of the time and had many surgical and medical instruments similar to some still in use in the 21st century. A large amount of medical terminology used by the Romans remained in use well into the 21st century. Much of Roman medicine was an eclectic mix of science and superstition. Roman medicine followed many of the teachings of Greek physicians such as Hippocrates.
Entertainment was wide and varied in ancient Rome. A great deal of free entertainment was available so that everyone could participate, regardless of social standing or affluence. It is theorized by many historians that entertainment was provided on such a large scale to distract people from the often harsh realities of daily life and to prevent potential riots.
Entertainment consisted of gladiator fights, plays, poetry recitals, chariot races, and circus performances. Gladiators were generally slaves or prisoners of war who were forced to fight each other or a variety of large animals to the death. Records indicate that many of the plays were comedies, though not necessarily in the way people think of comedies today.
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