For all the talk of armies, conflict, empire, politics, famous battles and even more famous figures, what can sometimes be lost is talk of daily life for the ordinary person, the plebeian, in these early civilizations. What made them tick? How did they live? What do we know about the lives of ordinary citizens in these civilizations?
Thankfully, we know quite a bit about a lot of these ancient civilizations. This is due to the writings of philosophers, historians and scribes in different disciplines. These writers give us an insight as to what life was like in their lifetime. As for historians, we get to see what they thought about their own history and how it measured up to their own time, which is quite fascinating.
There is so much to consider when thinking about the daily life of plebeians (pleb for short). In order to get a better understanding of what life was like for ‘plebs’ in the ancient world, we look to things that influence their lives, much the same way that they affect our lives today:
- Culture
- Religion
- Art
- Entertainment
- Food
- Family
- Politics and governmental structure
- Commerce
These things play a role in the day-to-day life of ordinary citizens, whose lives were usually a struggle and whose stories are mostly forgotten. They were often caught in the middle of conflict between civilizations, armies and the ambitions of military commanders. This left them vulnerable to invading armies, often becoming casualties through no fault of their own.
We have plenty of evidence through writings at the time as well as archeological evidence that help us build a picture of what life was like for plebeians.
We can turn to such things as ancient ruins to get a picture of what life was like. There is a myriad of ancient structures that exist in full, or in part, that give us an insight into what life was like. Think of buildings such as the Pantheon, Colosseum, Parthenon and Trajan’s Market as examples of buildings that were used by the wider populous for various reasons. Let’s not forget the endless temples, basilicas and churches that were built over time.
We also get valuable information from tragic events. The most notable of these events is the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. This volcanic eruption spewed so much lava and poisonous gasses that it effectively wiped towns such as Pompeii and Herculaneum off the map. What is interesting about this eruption is that it happened so quickly that the lava and ash encased these towns completely, preserving them and keeping them hidden before finally being re-discovered over a millennium later.
Unearthing these towns gave us a huge insight into the life of our ancient ancestors as these towns escaped the ravages of time, escaped destruction from military conflict and they also escaped looting. These discoveries helped historians and scholars fill in details that were otherwise unknown, such was the detail that remained.
Art, jewelry and pottery are also great sources of information. Frescos, painting mosaics, personal effects such as jewelry and painted pottery can also give us clues in not only what life was like, but what methods were used in the making of these objects, which is a story in-itself.
Entertainment played a huge role in society. It kept ordinary citizens distracted from the day-to-day struggles of life and gave them something to look forward to. This distraction also helped their political masters keep a lid on discontent for the most part. If leaders gave the plebeians what they wanted, they were less likely to riot and revolt, particularly in times of turmoil.
Think of the many Greek and Roman theaters scattered throughout the world, stretching from England, through Europe and into North Africa and the Middle East. That’s before you get to the big ones, like the Colosseum, the Circus Maximus, Stadium of Domitian and the Amphitheater of Capua.
This is where we get the term ‘bread and circuses’ or ‘panem et circenses‘ from. The grain dole and the staging of events was a way for the leaders of the day to keep the populace placated and distracted. We see much of this still going on today. Think of politicians wanting to hold extravagant sporting events.
Thanks to writers like Apicius, we have a great record of what some ancient people ate. His Roman ‘cookbook’ presents us with a myriad of recipes, giving us great insight into the food and delicacies that were consumed by our ancient ancestors. While many of these recipes could be said to be consumed by the upper classes of society, it does show some much simpler recipes.
Religion was a major aspect of ancient civilizations. Religion was at the forefront of people’s minds daily as they believed in the power of their gods and prayed to them in the hope of improving their lives or to ward off evil. Many polytheistic religions existed in ancient times where numerous gods were worshipped as each god watched over different aspects of people’s lives.
As religion evolved, we see the rise of monotheistic religions (the belief in one god). This coincided with the decline of polytheistic religions as more and more people believed that the one god oversaw everything.
The role of the family unit was as important then as it is now. In the struggle for survival, the family unit needed to work together to battle through the harsh realities of life. This often led to larger families and children working hard, laborious jobs. The roles of mother and father remained relatively unchanged over thousands of years, until more modern times.
Commerce played a big role in society as it enabled people from all classes to trade their wares, in the hope of securing a little bit of money or trading their items for items that they needed. Much of this commerce was conducted in a marketplace or bazaar, while deals were also done in public places such as forums, plazas and even bath houses.
As you can see, there are many aspects to look at when it comes to the lives of ordinary people. These people are often forgotten but they remain the lifeblood of any civilization, both ancient and modern.