Research Question: Was Ancient Rome a Desirable Place to Live?

Research Booklet
Subtopic 1: Hierarchal Status
Inquiry Question 1: What was the Hierarchal pyramid and how did it work?
Inquiry Question 2: What were the duties and expectations of the Plebeians?
Source 1
Research findings (copy
and paste original text
here)

Senatorial class (senators): The basis for this class was

political. It included all men who served in the Senate, and
by extension their families. This class was dominated by
the nobles (nobiles), families whose ancestors included at
least one consul (earlier the qualification had been a
curule magistracy, i.e. curule aedile and up). The first man
in his family to be elected consul, thus qualifying his family
for noble status, was called a new man (novus homo),
although this term was used in varying sensesit could
refer to an equesterian who was the first in his family to
be elected to political office and thus join the senatorial
class, or to a man from the senatorial class who was the
first in his family to be elected consul and thus join the
nobles, or most dramatically to an equestrian like Cicero
who was elected consul. Senators had to prove that they
had property worth at least 1,000,000 sesterces; there
was no salary attached to service in the Senate, and
senators were prohibited from engaging personally in
nonagricultural business, trade or public contracts. Men of
the senatorial class wore the tunic with broad stripes
(laticlavi).
Equestrian class (equites): The basis for this class was
economic. A man could be formally enrolled in the
equestrian order if he could prove that he possessed a
stable minimum amount of wealth (property worth at

Source 2
Plebeians were the working class of Ancient Rome. They typically
lived in three-or-four story apartment houses called insulae. The
insulae were often crowded where two families would have to
share a single room. There were no bathrooms in the apartments,
so a pot was often used. The pot would be emptied out of the
window into the streets, creating very unsanitary and smelly
conditions around the apartments. The apartments were built
from wood and often badly constructed. It was not unheard of for
a building to collapse or start on fire. Slaves in patrician
households often lived in better conditions than was found in
plebeian apartments.
Plebeians were average working citizens of Rome farmers,
bakers, builders or craftsmen who worked hard to support their
families and pay their taxes. Over the course of this period, early
forms of public welfare were established by Titus and Trajan and,
in difficult times, plebeians could ask Roman administrators for
help.

least 400,000 sesterces); by extension his family members

were also considered equestrians. However, if an
equestrian was elected to a magistracy and entered the
Senate, he moved up to the senatorial class; this was not
particularly easy or frequent. Equestrians were primarily
involved in the types of business prohibited to senators.
Equestrians wore the tunic with narrow stripes (angusti
clavi).
Commons (plebs or vulgus): all other freeborn Roman
citizens. The special mark of dress for citizen males was
the toga. All Roman citizens had conubium, the right to
contract a legal marriage with another Roman citizen and
beget legitimate children who were themselves Roman
citizens.
Latins (Latini): freeborn residents of Italy (until 89 BCE,
when they were all granted full citizenship) and of certain
other Roman municipalities who had some legal rights but
were not full Roman citizens. Former slaves who had been
informally freed by Roman citizens were a special
category, Junian Latins.
Foreigners (peregrini): all other freeborn men and women
who lived in Roman territories. In 212 CE most freeborn
people living within the Roman empire were granted
Roman citizenship.
Freedpeople (liberti or libertini): men and women who
had been slaves but had bought their freedom or been
manumitted. They were not fully free because they had
various restrictions on their rights and owed certain duties
to their former masters, who now became their patrons,
but they could become citizens if their former masters
were citizens and they had been formally manumitted;
they were not, however, eligible for public office. This was
the one class it was not possible to leave, though the class
encompassed only one generation. The next generation,
their freeborn children, became full citizens (i.e., members

Research findings (put in

your own words)

of the commons, though there was a social stigma

attached to being a freedman's son) and could even
become equestrians if rich enough. Freedpeople had low
social status, and most were probably fairly poor, but it
was possible for them to achieve some success in a trade,
and a few might even become wealthy. They had no
special distinction of dress, though their names indicated
their status as freedpeople.
Slaves (servi): system of chattel slavery where human
beings were born into slavery or sold into slavery through
war or piracy. Slaves were the property of their owners by
law, but by custom some slaves (especially urban,
domestic slaves) might be allowed their own savings
(peculium) with which they might later buy their freedom,
or their masters could manumit them, so some mobility
into the previous class was possible. . Roman slavery was
not racially based, and slaves had no special distinction of
dress, though slaves who had run away were sometimes
made to wear metal collars with inscriptions such as the
following: I have run away. Capture me. When you have
returned me to my master, Zoninus, you will receive a
reward.

Ancient Rome is a very hierarchical based country. Senators are

the highest ranked class, it consists of all the members who
make up the senate and their families. People can be a part of
the senators if they own a property of land that is worth 1 000
000 sesterces, all senators are prohibited from taking part in
any non-agricultural business, trade or public contracts. The
equites is made up of the men that can possess a land area of
400,000 sesterces, his family will also be considered a part of
the equites. The commons are made up of all other freeborn
Roman citizens. Freedpeople are men and women who were
slaves but have bought their freedom. This is the one class that
was not possible to leave, though the class only had one

Plebeians are the everyday, average Joe type citizens. They are
the working class of Ancient Rome. They are often farmers, bakers,
builders or craftsmen they are all working to support their
families and pay their taxes. Plebeians typically live in 3-4 storey
houses, called an insulae that has no bathroom. Therefore a pot is
used. The pot is emptied on the streets, making the streets very
unsanitary and dirty. Plebeians help to complete all of the daily
tasks like getting food for the remaining citizens and building the
architecture. The Plebeians are an important part of Ancient Rome
as they are the ones who help to get everything done. (See source
2 for information on the Plebeians.)

generation. Slaves are the property of their owners by law.

Roman slavery is not racially. People are born into slavery or
sold into slavery through war. Some slaves are allowed to make
savings to buy their freedom. The slaves who have runaway are
required to wear metal collars with inscriptions like the
following written on them: I have run away. Capture me.

When you have returned me to my master, Zoninus, you

will receive a reward. (See source 1 for the full
hierarchical pyramid.) Women are not equally treated in
Ancient Rome, they are required to stay home and clean.
Young boys are able to go to school and get an education
while girls learn how to cook and clean.

Bibliography for sources

(number them if more
than one)
Source analysis (explain
in full)

Does this source indicate

that Rome was a
desirable or undesirable
place to live?

http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/socialclass.html (source
8)

Primary or Secondary Source? Secondary

From what perspective is this source created? There is no perspective
Is this source relevant to my inquiry? Yes, it is the Ancient Roman
hierarchical structure.
Is this source reliable/accurate? Yes, I have cross-referenced it with
various sources.
It indicate that it is undesirable because of the strict hierarchical
structure and unfairness to women and lower classes.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/rome/g/plebs.htm
(source 2)

Primary or Secondary Source? Secondary

From what perspective is this source created? It was created out
of someones modern day perspective.
Is this source relevant to my inquiry? Yes, it is providing
information about the Plebeians and their duties.
Is this source reliable/accurate? Yes, I have cross-referenced it.
It indicates that it is undesirable because of the lack of hygiene in
the streets.

Source 1

Subtopic 2: Law
Inquiry Question 3: What was the Ancient Roman legal system?
Inquiry Question 4: Were the punishments very harsh?
Source 1
Research findings (copy
and paste original text
here)

Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the

legal developments which occurred before the 7th
century AD - when the RomanByzantine state adopted
Greek as the language of government. The development
of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of
jurisprudence - from the Twelve Tables (c. 439 BC) to the
Corpus Juris Civilis (AD 529) ordered by Emperor Justinian
I. This Roman law, the Justinian Code, was effective in the
Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire (331-1453), and also
served as a basis for legal practice in continental Europe,
as well as in Ethiopia, and most former colonies of
European nations, including Latin America.
Historically, "Roman law" also denotes the legal system
applied in most of Western Europe, until the end of the
18th century. In Germany, Roman law practice remained
longer, having been the Holy Roman Empire (963-1806);
thus the great influence upon the civil law systems in
Europe. Moreover, the English and North American
Common law also were influenced by Roman law, notably
in the Latinate legal glossary - stare decisis, culpa in
contrahendo, pacta sunt servanda. In contrast, Eastern
Europe, though influenced by the Byzantine Empire, was
not much influenced by the jurisprudence of the Corpus

Source 2
Criminal law was in many instances more severe for the Romans than
it is at the present day. Thus adultery, which now only subjects the
offender to a civil suit, was by the Romans, as well as the ancient Jews,
punished corporally. The content of this article provides interesting
history, facts and information about life in Ancient Rome including
Roman Punishment.
The different types of punishments inflicted among the Romans, were
fines, (damnum,) bonds, (vincula,) stripes, (verbera,) retaliation, (talio,)
infamy, (ignominia,) banishment, (exilium,) slavery, (servitus,) and
death. A Roman citizen could not be sentenced to death unless he was
found guilty of treason. A Roman citizen had the right to be tried in
Romeif accused of treason. If sentenced to death, no Roman citizen
could be sentenced to be crucified.

The Roman methods of inflicting death were various, in the time

of Nero, the punishment for treason was, to be stripped stark
naked, and with the head held up by a fork to be whipped to
death. The most common punishment were as follows:

Beheading (percussio securi)

Strangling in prison (strangulatio)
Throwing a criminal from that part of the prison called
Robur (precipitatio de robore)
Throwing a criminal from the Tarpeian rock (dejectio e
rupe Tarpeia)

Juris Civilis; however, they did accept the Roman

influence of the Farmer's Law.

Crucifixion (in crucem actio)

Burying a person alive

The term Roman law today often refers to more than the Throwing a criminal into the river (projectio in profluentem).
laws of Roman society. The legal institutions evolved by
the Romans had influence on the laws of other peoples in
times long after the disappearance of the Roman Empire
and in countries that were never subject to Roman rule.
To take the most striking example, in a large part of
Germany, until the adoption of a common code for the
whole empire in 1900, the Roman law was in force as
subsidiary law; that is, it was applied unless excluded by
contrary local provisions. This law, however, which was in
force in parts of Europe long after the fall of the Roman
Empire, was not the Roman law in its original form.
Although its basis was indeed the Corpus Juris Civilisthe
codifying legislation of the emperor Justinian Ithis
legislation had been interpreted, developed, and adapted
to later conditions by generations of jurists from the 11th
century onward and had received additions from nonRoman sources.
Roman law in a broad sense refers not only to the legal
system of ancient Rome, but also to the law that was
applied throughout most of Western Europe until the end
of the 18th century. In some countries like Germany the
practical application of Roman law lasted even longer. For
these reasons, many modern civil law systems in Europe
and elsewhere are heavily influenced by Roman law. This
is especially true in the field of private law. Even the
English and North American Common law owes some
debt to Roman law although Roman law exercised much
less influence on the English legal system than on the
legal systems of the continent. The influence of Roman
law is shown by the wealth of legal terminology, retained

by all legal systems, like stare decisis, culpa in

contrahendo or pacta sunt servanda. Interestingly the
Eastern European countries, though heavily influenced by
the Byzantine Empire from which the Corpus Juris Civilis
came, were not significantly influenced by the Corpus.
They were, however, influenced to some degree by the
Roman Farmer's Law.

Research findings (put in

your own words)

Ancient Roman law is one of the most original products of the

Roman mind. Roman law is the legal system of Ancient Rome.
The legal system has evolved over thousands of years and has
influenced the German, North American and English legal
system. The Roman legal system has been influenced by the
wealth of legal terminology, reserved by all legal systems.
Without replacing older laws, the Romans developed
alternative procedures that allowed greater fairness. Criminal
law is in many instances very severe. The Romans, as well as
the Ancient Jews, punish adultery corporally. (See source 3).

The Ancient Roman punishments are very harsh. They include

decapitation, strangling, imprisonment, being whipped to death or
being thrown off of a rock. (See source 5) A Roman Citizen could not be
given the death penalty unless found guilty of treason. Because slaves
cost a lot of money to buy, there punishments are not as severe as
punishments for regular citizens and do not inflict lasting damage. The
lash is the most common punishment for a slave. An alternative
punishment is forcing a slave to wear a piece of wood around their
neck wherever they go. Having this punishment also means that they
will be called furcifier. (See source 4).

Bibliography for sources

(number them if more
than one)
Source analysis (explain
in full)

http://www.canadianlawsite.ca/AncientRoman.htm (Source
3)

http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-life/romanpunishment.htm (source 4)

Primary or Secondary Source? Secondary.

From what perspective is this source created? There is no
perspective it is all factual.
Is this source relevant to my inquiry? Yes
Is this source reliable/accurate? Yes, I have cross-referenced it.

Does this source indicate

that Rome was a
desirable or undesirable
place to live?

It indicates that Ancient Rome was undesirable. It shows how

harsh the legal system was and how dangerous it was to live in
Ancient Rome.

Primary or Secondary Source? Secondary

From what perspective is this source created? It is someones
interpretation.
Is this source relevant to my inquiry? Yes it shows how harsh Roman
punishments could be.
Is this source reliable/accurate? Yes, it matches my information
It indicates that Ancient Rome was undesirable

Source 5

Subtopic 3: Entertainment
Inquiry Question 5: What were the forms of entertainment?
Inquiry Question 6: Where were was the entertainment held?

Research findings (copy

and paste original text
here)

Source 1
Like chariot racing, contests of gladiators probably originated
as funeral games; these contests were much less ancient than
races, however. The first recorded gladiatorial combat in Rome
occurred when three pairs of gladiators fought to the death
during the funeral of Junius Brutus in 264 BCE, though others
may have been held earlier. Gladiatorial games (called munera
since they were originally duties paid to dead ancestors)
gradually lost their exclusive connection with the funerals of
individuals and became an important part of the public
spectacles staged by politicians. The popularity of gladiatorial
games is indicated by the large number of wall paintings and
mosaics depicting gladiators; for example, this very large
mosaic illustrating many different aspects of the games
covered an entire floor of a Roman villa in Nennig, Germany.
Many household items were decorated with gladiatorial
motifs, such as this lamp and this flask.
Gladiatorial contests, like chariot races, were originally held in
large open spaces with temporary seating; there is evidence
that some munera were held in the Roman Forum, for
example. As the games became more frequent and popular,
there was need for a larger and more permanent structure.
Although the Circus Maximus was often pressed into service

Source 2
The Colosseum was built by Emperors Vespasiana and Titus and was
completed in A.D. 80 It was a large stadium which held over fifty
thousand people. Its measurements were 188 meters long, 156 meters
wide, and 40 meters high, and it had 76 entrances (Connolly 2001, pg 37).
The main area was made of a removable wooden floor that was covered
with dirt for easy cleanup. Some have suggested that the Romans may
have removed the floor and flooded the area for mock naval battles.
Under the floor was a set of tunnels and holding places for gladiators and
wild animals used for entertainment. Under the floor was a lift system
and trapdoors from which people or animals below could enter the arena.
When the Colosseum opened, 100 straight days of games were held. The
Colosseum was used for large events. For example, in one day, over 5000
animals were killed. Another day over 1000 gladiators fought in a single
afternoon
The Colosseum in Rome could seat up to 50,000 people and was the
largest amphitheatre in the Empire. It was here that people gathered to
see the fights between gladiators, slaves, prisoners and wild animals like
lions.
The Emperors encouraged people to go to see the fights as it stopped
them from being bored and criticising their ruler. The fights were very

because of its huge seating capacity, the Romans eventually

designed a building specifically for this type of spectacle (called
an amphitheatrum because the seating extended all the way
around the oval or elliptical performance area, which was
covered with sand, harena). Early amphitheaters, both in Rome
and elsewhere, were built of wood, but stone amphitheaters
proved to be much more durable; the oldest stone
amphitheater, built in Pompeii in the first century CE and
seating approximately 20,000, is still well preserved (see also
this view through an archway on the upper level, a section of
stone seats with staircase, and the exterior walls with
stairway). Like Roman theaters, amphitheaters were
freestanding; because they did not require natural hills, as
Greek theaters did, they could be built anywhere. A
remarkable painting from a house in Pompeii depicts the
amphitheater. In the tree-shaded area in front, vendors have
set up temporary shops to sell food and drinks; the exerciseground to the right was equipped with a large latrine so
spectators could relieve themselves. This fresco depicts a
specific event that took place in 59 CE, when a fight erupted
between the Pompeians and the neighboring Nucerians (much
like modern soccer brawls); in punishment for the riot, Nero
imposed a ten-year ban on gladiatorial fights in the
amphitheatre.
Gladiators (named after the Roman sword called the gladius)
were mostly unfree individuals (condemned criminals,
prisoners of war, slaves). Some gladiators were volunteers
(mostly freedmen or very low classes of freeborn men) who
chose to take on the status of a slave for the monetary rewards
or the fame and excitement. Anyone who became a gladiator
was automatically infamis, beneath the law and by definition
not a respectable citizen. A small number of upper-class men
did compete in the arena (though this was explicitly prohibited
by law), but they did not live with the other gladiators and
constituted a special, esoteric form of entertainment (as did
the extremely rare women who competed in the arena; see
some Latin passages referring to female gladiators). All
gladiators swore a solemn oath (sacramentum gladiatorium),

violent and ended when the loser died.

Sometimes, when the arena was flooded there would be fights with
boats. The cells where the animals and prisoners were kept was
underneath the floor of the main arena. The Colosseum even had a lift to
bring them up to the arena.

similar to that sworn by the legionary but much more dire: I

will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be
killed by the sword (uri, vinciri, verberari, ferroque necari,
Petronius Satyricon 117). Paradoxically, this terrible oath gave
a measure of volition and even honor to the gladiator. As
Carlin Barton states, The gladiator, by his oath, transforms
what had originally been an involuntary act to a voluntary one,
and so, at the very moment that he becomes a slave
condemned to death, he becomes a free agent and a man with
honor to uphold (The Sorrows of the Ancient Romans: The
Gladiator and the Monster [Princeton University Press, 1993]
15). Trained gladiators had the possibility of surviving and even
thriving. Some gladiators did not fight more than two or three
times a year, and the best of them became popular heroes
(appearing often on graffiti, for example: Celadus the Thraex
is the heart-throb of the girls). Skilled fighters might win a
good deal of money and the wooden sword (rudis) that
symbolized their freedom. Freed gladiators could continue to
fight for money, but they often became trainers in the
gladiatorial schools or free-lance bodyguards for the wealthy.

Research findings (put in

your own words)

Gladiators are typically individuals who are in trouble with the

law (prisoners, slaves, criminals.) Or volunteer freedmen or
low-class freeborn men. They choose to become gladiators to
take on the status of a slave or to receive financial rewards.
Anyone who has become a gladiator is known is infamis and by
law not a respected citizen. Upper-class men are strictly
prohibited from participating in gladiatorial games but some
do anyway. Women are not allowed to enter the arena or
watch any form of gladiatorial games. During the lunch break
at the arenas, the gladiators devote their time to executing
criminals who had committed things such as murder. (Source
9). The afternoon is the high-point of the games, or the
individual gladiator combat. This is when different types of
armour and fighting styles are used. Public executions help
teach fear in the men, women and children left at home.

The Colosseum was completed in A.D. 80 and was built by Emperors

Vespasiana and Titus. The Colosseum is a large stadium and can hold over
50 000 people. Its measurements were recorded at 188 metres long, 156
metres wide, 40 metres high and it has 76 entrances. (Source 7) Under
the floor was a set of tunnels and holding places for gladiators and wild
animals used for entertainment. The Colosseum is used for large event
such as gladiatorial games and slaughtering wild animals such as lions.
(Source 10) The Emperors encouraged people to go to see the fights as it
stopped them from being bored and criticizing their ruler.

Bibliography for sources

(number them if more
than one)
Source analysis (explain
in full)

Does this source indicate

that Rome was a
desirable or undesirable
place to live?

Children will learn the lesson of what happens to soldiers who

are defeated. The losing gladiator would then be executed.
Roman gladiatorial games are gruesome and each gladiator
shows no mercy towards the other. (Source 6). In one day of
games over 5000 animals were slaughtered and 1000
gladiators were killed.
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/arena.html
http://legvi.tripod.com/gladiators/id1.html (source 9)
Primary or Secondary Source? Secondary
From what perspective is this source created? It is someones
interpretation
Is this source relevant to my inquiry? Yes.
Is this source reliable/accurate? Yes.
It shows that Ancient Rome was undesirable because of the
gruesome games.

http://www.historyonthenet.com/romans/entertainment_in_rome.htm
(Source 10)
Primary or Secondary Source? Primary
From what perspective is this source created? There is no perspective, it is
a photograph
Is this source relevant to my inquiry? Yes.
Is this source reliable/accurate? Yes.
It indicates that Ancient Rome was undesirable because the building of
the Colosseum encouraged more violent games which lead to more
deaths.

Source 7

Source 6

Skeleton Plan for Written Response

(Examples of what to write are included. These are purely a guide and your version will vary from this, according to the style of communication you have chosen).
Introduction
State your main
argument

Inquiry Question 1
i) State topic and
argument
ii) Explain facts and
evidence
obtained from
sources
iii) Link to main
argument

Eg. Ancient Rome is/is not a desirable place to live, for a range of reasons
Dear Isis,
In regards to your last letter, I would highly advise that you do not come to live in Rome. Rome is a highly undesirable place to live and there are many
reasons for it such as: the unreasonable hierarchical structure that is incredibly unequal towards women and slaves, the cruel, harsh punishments that
can leave you seriously injured or even dead and the gruesome entertainment that tortures regular people and innocent people.

Eg.
i) One of the main reasons Rome is/is not a desirable place to live is .
ii) I/we know this because .. (quote evidence)
iii) Therefore it is obvious that Ancient Rome is/is not a desirable place to live
The Roman hierarchical structure makes Rome a very undesirable place to live in. Rome is a very hierarchical based country. Senators are the highest
ranked class, it consists of all the members who make up the senate and their families. People can be a part of the senators if they own a property of
land that is worth 1 000 000 sesterces, all senators are prohibited from taking part in any non-agricultural business, trade or public contracts. The
equites is made up of the men that can possess a land area of 400,000 sesterces, his family will also be considered a part of the equites. The commons
are made up of all other freeborn Roman citizens. Freedpeople are men and women who were slaves but have bought their freedom. This is the one
class that was not possible to leave, though the class only had one generation. Slaves are the property of their owners by law. Roman slavery is not
racially based. People are born into slavery or sold into slavery through war. Some slaves are allowed to make savings to buy their freedom (See
source 1 for the full hierarchical pyramid.) Women are not equally treated in Ancient Rome, they are required to stay home and clean. Young boys are
able to go to school and get an education while girls learn how to cook and clean. As you can see in source 8, Romans treat their citizens very
unequally, women have very little to no rights at all and slaves are incredibly mistreated all because of their families. Plebeians are the everyday,
average Joe type citizens. They are the working class of Ancient Rome. They are often farmers, bakers, builders or craftsmen they are all working
to support their families and pay their taxes. Plebeians typically live in 3-4 storey houses, called an insulae that has no bathroom. Therefore a pot is
used. The pot is emptied on the streets, making the streets very unsanitary and dirty. Plebeians help to complete all of the daily tasks like getting food
for the remaining citizens and building the architecture. The Plebeians are an important part of Ancient Rome as they are the ones who help to get
everything done. As seen in source 2, the Plebeians are very average citizens. However; they have the made the streets become incredibly unhygienic.
They are terrible to walk through. The Roman hierarchical structure makes Rome a very undesirable place to live.

Inquiry Question 2
2
i) State topic and
argument
ii) Explain facts and
evidence
obtained from
sources
iii) Link to main
argument

Inquiry Question 3
i) State topic and
argument
ii) Explain facts and
evidence
obtained from
sources
iii) Link to main
argument

Eg.
i) One of the main reasons Rome is/is not a desirable place to live is .
ii) I/we know this because .. (quote evidence)
iii) Therefore it is obvious that Ancient Rome is/is not a desirable place to live
Furthermore, the Roman legal system and punishments are very harsh. Roman law is one of the most original products of the Roman mind. Roman
law is the legal system of Rome. The legal system has evolved over thousands of years and has influenced the German, North American and English
legal system. The Roman legal system has been influenced by the wealth of legal terminology, reserved by all legal systems. Without replacing older
laws, the Romans developed alternative procedures that allowed greater fairness. Criminal law is in many instances very severe. The Romans, as well
as the Ancient Jews, punish adultery corporally. (See source 3). The Ancient Roman punishments are very harsh. They include decapitation, strangling,
imprisonment, being whipped to death or being thrown off of a rock. (See source 5) A Roman Citizen could not be given the death penalty unless
found guilty of treason. Because slaves cost a lot of money to buy, there punishments are not as severe as punishments for regular citizens and do not
inflict lasting damage. The lash is the most common punishment for a slave. An alternative punishment is forcing a slave to wear a piece of wood
around their neck wherever they go. Having this punishment also means that they will be called furcifier. (See source 4). As evident throughout this
information, the Roman legal system and punishments are very severe and unrealistic. On small crime can easily end your life.

Eg.
i) One of the main reasons Rome is/is not a desirable place to live is .
ii) I/we know this because .. (quote evidence)
iii) Therefore it is obvious that Ancient Rome is/is not a desirable place to live
Additionally, the Roman entertainment is gruesome and tortures regular citizens and animals. Gladiators are typically individuals who are in trouble
with the law (prisoners, slaves, criminals.) Or volunteer freedmen or low-class freeborn men. They choose to become gladiators to take on the status
of a slave or to receive financial rewards. Anyone who has become a gladiator is known is infamis and by law not a respected citizen. Upper-class men
are strictly prohibited from participating in gladiatorial games but some do anyway. Women are not allowed to enter the arena or watch any form of
gladiatorial games. During the lunch break at the arenas, the gladiators devote their time to executing criminals who had committed things such as
murder. (Source 9). The afternoon is the high-point of the games, or the individual gladiator combat. This is when different types of armour and
fighting styles are used. Public executions help teach fear in the men, women and children left at home. Children will learn the lesson of what happens

to soldiers who are defeated. The losing gladiator would then be executed. Roman gladiatorial games are gruesome and each gladiator shows no
mercy towards the other. (Source 6). In one day of games over 5000 animals were slaughtered and 1000 gladiators were killed. The Colosseum was
completed in A.D. 80 and was built by Emperors Vespasiana and Titus. The Colosseum is a large stadium and can hold over 50 000 people. Its
measurements were recorded at 188 metres long, 156 metres wide, 40 metres high and it has 76 entrances. (Source 7) Under the floor was a set of
tunnels and holding places for gladiators and wild animals used for entertainment. The Colosseum is used for large event such as gladiatorial games
and slaughtering wild animals such as lions. (Source 10) The Emperors encouraged people to go to see the fights as it stopped them from being bored
and criticizing their ruler. As you can see, the Roman entertainment is horrific to watch and the building of the Colosseum is only encouraging more of
the gruesome entertainment.

Conclusion
re-state your main
argument

Eg. Again, I must insist that you should/should not come to Rome to live, it is ..(reason 1), .(reason 2), .(reason 3).
To conclude, I cannot advise you enough to not come to Rome as it has an unequal hierarchical structure where no one is treated equally, it has a
harsh legal system and even harsher punishments and it has gruesome entertainment that has ended the lives of many people and animals.
Yours sincerely,
Amunet.

VG
Structure
Sources use
Link to topic
Communication
(spelling and
grammar)

NI

Comment

Draft Written Response

In here, type your full draft, including the word count.
Dear Isis,
In regards to your last letter, I would highly advise that you do not come to live in Rome. Rome is a highly undesirable place to live and there are many reasons for it such
as: the unreasonable hierarchical structure that is incredibly unequal towards women and slaves, the cruel, harsh punishments that can leave you seriously injured or even
dead and the gruesome entertainment that tortures regular people and innocent people.
The Roman hierarchical structure makes Rome a very undesirable place to live in. Rome is a very hierarchical based country. The Senate is the highest ranked class, it
consists of all the members who make up the senate and their families. All senators are prohibited from taking part in any non-agricultural business, trade or public
contracts. The equites is made up of the men that can possess a land area of 400,000 sesterces, his family will also be considered a part of the equites. The commons are
made up of all other freeborn Roman citizens. Freedpeople are men and women who were slaves but have bought their freedom. This is the one class that is not possible to
leave, though the class only has one generation. Slaves are the property of their owners by law. Roman slavery is not racially based. People are born into slavery or sold into
slavery through war. (See source 1 for the full hierarchical pyramid.) Women and young girls are not equally treated in Rome, they are required to stay home and clean.
Young boys are able to go to school and get an education while girls learn how to cook and clean. As you can see in source 8, Romans treat their citizens very unequally,
women have very little to no rights at all and slaves are incredibly mistreated all because of their families. Plebeians are the everyday, average Joe type citizens. They are
the working class of Ancient Rome. They are often farmers, bakers, builders or craftsmen they are all working to support their families and pay their taxes. Plebeians
typically live in 3-4 storey houses, called an insulae that has no bathroom. Therefore a pot is used. The pot is emptied on the streets, making the streets very unsanitary and
dirty. Plebeians help to complete all of the daily tasks like getting food for the remaining citizens and building the architecture. The Plebeians are an important part of
Ancient Rome as they are the ones who help to get everything done. As seen in source 2, the Plebeians are very average citizens. However; they have the made the streets
become incredibly unhygienic. They are terrible to walk through. The Roman hierarchical structure makes Rome a very undesirable place to live.
Furthermore, the Roman legal system and punishments are very harsh. The legal system has evolved over thousands of years and has influenced the German, North
American and English legal system. Without replacing older laws, the Romans developed alternative procedures that allowed greater fairness. Criminal law is in many
instances very severe. The Romans, as well as the Ancient Jews, punish adultery corporally. (See source 3). The Ancient Roman punishments are very harsh. They include
decapitation, strangling, imprisonment, being whipped to death or being thrown off of a rock. (See source 5) A Roman Citizen cannot be given the death penalty unless
found guilty of treason. Because slaves cost a lot of money to buy, there punishments are not as severe as punishments for regular citizens and do not inflict lasting
damage. The lash is the most common punishment for a slave. An alternative punishment is forcing a slave to wear a piece of wood around their neck wherever they go
(See source 4). As evident throughout this information, the Roman legal system and punishments are very severe and unrealistic. One small crime can easily end your life.
Additionally, the Roman entertainment is gruesome and tortures regular citizens and animals. Gladiators are typically individuals who are in trouble with the law (prisoners,
slaves, criminals.) Or volunteer freedmen or low-class freeborn men. They chose to become gladiators to take on the status of a slave or to receive financial rewards.

Upper-class men are strictly prohibited from participating in gladiatorial games but some do anyway. Women are not allowed to enter the arena or watch any form of
gladiatorial games. During the lunch break at the arenas, the gladiators devote their time to executing criminals who had committed things such as murder. (Source 9). The
afternoon is the high-point of the games, or the individual gladiator combat. This is when different types of armour and fighting styles are used. Public executions help
teach fear in the men, women and children left at home. Children will learn the lesson of what happens to soldiers who are defeated. The losing gladiator would then be
executed. Roman gladiatorial games are gruesome and each gladiator shows no mercy towards the other. In one day of games over 5000 animals are slaughtered and 1000
gladiators are killed. The Colosseum is a large stadium and can hold over 50 000 people. (Source 7) The Colosseum is used for large event such as gladiatorial games and
slaughtering wild animals such as lions. (Source 10) The Emperors encourage people to go to see the fights as it stops them from being bored and criticizing their ruler. As
you can see, the Roman entertainment is horrific to watch and the building of the Colosseum is only encouraging more of the gruesome entertainment.
To conclude, I cannot advise you enough not to come to Rome, as it has an unequal hierarchical structure where no one is treated equally, it has a harsh legal system and
even harsher punishments and it has gruesome entertainment that has ended the lives of many people and animals. I hope that you take my advice for your own safety.
Yours sincerely,
Amunet.
(976 words)

Response to Feedback and Plan for Final

In here, write what your feedback was and how you plan to improve your text before the submission of the final.
Dear Isis,
In regards to your last letter, I would highly advise that you do not come to live in Rome. Rome is a highly undesirable place to live and there are many reasons for it such
as: the unreasonable hierarchical structure that is incredibly unequal towards women and slaves, the cruel, harsh punishments that can leave you seriously injured or even
dead and the gruesome entertainment that tortures regular people and innocent people.
The Roman hierarchical structure makes Rome a very undesirable place to live in. Rome is a very hierarchical based country. The Senate is the highest ranked class, it
consists of all the members who make up the senate and their families. All senators are prohibited from taking part in any non-agricultural business, trade or public
contracts. The equites is made up of the men that can possess a land area of 400,000 sesterces, his family will also be considered a part of the equites. The commons are
made up of all other freeborn Roman citizens. Freedpeople are men and women who were slaves but have bought their freedom. This is the one class that is not possible to
leave, though the class only has one generation. Slaves are the property of their owners by law. Roman slavery is not racially based. People are born into slavery or sold into
slavery through war. (See source 1 for the full hierarchical pyramid.) Women and young girls are not equally treated in Rome, they are required to stay home and clean.
Young boys are able to go to school and get an education while girls learn how to cook and clean. As you can see in source 8, Romans treat their citizens very unequally,
women have very little to no rights at all and slaves are incredibly mistreated all because of their families. Plebeians are the everyday, average Joe type citizens. They are
the working class of Ancient Rome. They are often farmers, bakers, builders or craftsmen they are all working to support their families and pay their taxes. Plebeians
typically live in 3-4 storey houses, called an insulae that has no bathroom. Therefore a pot is used. The pot is emptied on the streets, making the streets very unsanitary and
dirty. Plebeians help to complete all of the daily tasks like getting food for the remaining citizens and building the architecture. The Plebeians are an important part of
Ancient Rome as they are the ones who help to get everything done. As seen in source 2, the Plebeians are very average citizens. However; they have the made the streets
become incredibly unhygienic. They are terrible to walk through. The Roman hierarchical structure makes Rome a very undesirable place to live.
Furthermore, the Roman legal system and punishments are very harsh. The legal system has evolved over thousands of years and has influenced the German, North
American and English legal system. Without replacing older laws, the Romans developed alternative procedures that allowed greater fairness. Criminal law is in many
instances very severe. The Romans, as well as the Ancient Jews, punish adultery corporally. (See source 3). The Ancient Roman punishments are very harsh. They include
decapitation, strangling, imprisonment, being whipped to death or being thrown off of a rock. (See source 5) A Roman Citizen cannot be given the death penalty unless
found guilty of treason. Because slaves cost a lot of money to buy, there punishments are not as severe as punishments for regular citizens and do not inflict lasting

damage. The lash is the most common punishment for a slave. An alternative punishment is forcing a slave to wear a piece of wood around their neck wherever they go
(See source 4). As evident throughout this information, the Roman legal system and punishments are very severe and unrealistic. One small crime can easily end your life.
Additionally, the Roman entertainment is gruesome and tortures regular citizens and animals. Gladiators are typically individuals who are in trouble with the law (prisoners,
slaves, criminals.) Or volunteer freedmen or low-class freeborn men. They chose to become gladiators to take on the status of a slave or to receive financial rewards.
Upper-class men are strictly prohibited from participating in gladiatorial games but some do anyway. Women are not allowed to enter the arena or watch any form of
gladiatorial games. During the lunch break at the arenas, the gladiators devote their time to executing criminals who had committed things such as murder. (Source 9). The
afternoon is the high-point of the games, or the individual gladiator combat. This is when different types of armour and fighting styles are used. Public executions help
teach fear in the men, women and children left at home. Children will learn the lesson of what happens to soldiers who are defeated. The losing gladiator would then be
executed. Roman gladiatorial games are gruesome and each gladiator shows no mercy towards the other. In one day of games over 5000 animals are slaughtered and 1000
gladiators are killed. The Colosseum is a large stadium and can hold over 50 000 people. (Source 7) The Colosseum is used for large event such as gladiatorial games and
slaughtering wild animals such as lions. (Source 10) The Emperors encourage people to go to see the fights as it stops them from being bored and criticizing their ruler. As
you can see, the Roman entertainment is horrific to watch and the building of the Colosseum is only encouraging more of the gruesome entertainment.
To conclude, I cannot advise you enough not to come to Rome, as it has an unequal hierarchical structure where no one is treated equally, it has a harsh legal system and
even harsher punishments and it has gruesome entertainment that has ended the lives of many people and animals. I hope that you take my advice for your own safety.
Yours sincerely,
Amunet.

Final Written Response

Dear Isis,
In regards to your last letter, I would highly advise that you do not come to live in Rome. Rome is a highly undesirable place to live and there are many reasons for it such
as: the unreasonable hierarchical structure, the cruel, harsh punishments that can leave you dead and the gruesome entertainment that tortures regular people.
The Roman hierarchical structure makes Rome a very undesirable place to live in. Rome is a very hierarchical based country. As evident in source 1, the Senate is the highest
ranked class, it consists of all the members who make up the senate and their families. The equites are made up of the men that can possess a land area of 400,000
sesterces, his family will also be considered a part of the equites. Freed people are men and women who were slaves but have bought their freedom. People are born into
slavery or sold into slavery through war. As you can see in source 8, Romans treat their citizens very unequally, women have very little to no rights at all, and they are
mistreated. Plebeians are the everyday, average Joe type citizens, they are the working class of Rome. They are all working to support their families and pay their taxes.

Plebeians typically live in 3-4 storey houses that have no bathroom. Therefore a pot is used. The pot is emptied on the streets, making the streets very unsanitary and dirty.
As seen in source 2, the Plebeians are very average citizens. However; they have the made the streets become incredibly unhygienic. They are terrible to walk through. The
Roman hierarchical structure is very poor.
Furthermore, the Roman legal system and punishments are very harsh. Without replacing older laws, the Romans developed alternative procedures that allowed greater
fairness. Criminal law is in many instances, very severe. The Romans, as well as the Ancient Jews, punish adultery corporally. As evident in source 3, the Roman punishments
are very harsh. They include decapitation, strangling, imprisonment, being whipped to death or being thrown off of a rock. As evident in source 5, a Roman Citizen cannot
be given the death penalty unless found guilty of treason. Because slaves cost a lot of money to buy, there punishments are not as severe as punishments for regular
citizens and do not inflict lasting damage. The lash is the most common punishment for a slave. As evident in source, the Roman legal system and punishments are very
severe and unrealistic. One small crime can easily end your life.
Additionally, the Roman entertainment is gruesome and tortures regular citizens and animals. Gladiators are typically individuals who are in trouble with the law, volunteer
freedmen or low-class freeborn men. Upper-class men are strictly prohibited from participating in gladiatorial games but some do anyway. As evident in source 9, the lunch
break at the arenas is devoted to executing criminals who have committed things such as murder. The afternoon is the high-point of the games. Roman gladiatorial games
are gruesome and each gladiator shows no mercy towards the other. In one day of games over 5000 animals are slaughtered and 1000 gladiators are killed. As evident in
source 7, the Colosseum is a large stadium and can hold over 50 000 people. As evident in source 10, the Colosseum is used for large events such as gladiatorial games and
slaughtering wild animals such as lions. The Emperors encourage people to go see the fights, as it stops them from being bored and criticizing their ruler. Roman
entertainment is a horrific sight.
To conclude, I cannot advise you enough not to come to Rome, as it has an unequal hierarchical structure where no one is treated equally, it has a harsh legal system and
even harsher punishments and it has gruesome entertainment that has ended the lives of many people and animals. I hope that you take my advice for your safety.
Yours sincerely,
Amunet.