Ancient Rome · People
People of Ancient Rome
History Who lived and worked in a Roman city? At its height Rome may have had around a million people, from senators to enslaved workers. Their clothes often showed who they were.
Roman woman
Citizen in a stola
A married Roman woman wore a long dress called a stola, often with a shawl called a palla over her head and shoulders when she went out. Women could own property and run businesses, but could not vote or hold office.
Where to find them: Town house (domus), Temple of Vesta, Public baths
Senator
Lawmaker in a toga
Only Roman citizens could wear the toga, a big piece of wool wrapped around the body. Senators had a broad purple stripe on their tunic. They met in the Curia to debate and advise.
Where to find them: Senate house (curia), Forum, Basilica
Roman boy
Child in a tunic
Children wore simple tunics. Boys from families who could pay went to a teacher from about age seven to learn reading, writing and arithmetic; many children worked instead.
Where to find them: School, Apartment block (insula), Chariot racetrack (circus)
Merchant
Trader carrying amphorae
Merchants bought and sold goods such as olive oil, wine and grain, which arrived by ship and were stored in warehouses. Trade linked Rome with the whole Mediterranean.
Where to find them: Warehouse (horrea), Street shop (taberna), Donkey cart
Girl going to market
Shopper with a basket
Most Romans in the city lived in apartments without kitchens, so they bought food every day from shops, markets and snack bars, and fetched water from public fountains.
Where to find them: Snack bar (thermopolium), Public fountain, Street shop (taberna)
Legionary
Soldier with a shield
Legionaries were professional soldiers who served for about 25 years. As well as fighting, they built roads, bridges, forts and walls.
Where to find them: City walls and towers, Triumphal arch, Victory column
Stone carrier
Builder at work
Huge building projects needed thousands of workers, both free laborers and enslaved people. They quarried, carried and lifted stone, with cranes for the heaviest blocks.
Where to find them: Treadwheel crane, Building materials, Amphitheater
Carpenter
Worker carrying timber
Carpenters made roofs, scaffolding, cranes and the wooden molds used to shape concrete arches and domes.
Where to find them: Treadwheel crane, The Pantheon, Aqueduct
Keep exploring
Back to the Ancient Rome map Take the tour: Roman engineering