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As with many cultures, a person’s quality of life depended in many ways on their rank within the social structure. Two Romans living at the same time in the same city could have very different lives. For wealthy Romans (i.e. nobles), life was extremely good. They lived in beautiful houses (or villas), often on the hills outside Rome, away from the noise and the smell. They enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle with luxurious furnishings, surrounded by servants and slaves to cater to their every desire. Many would hold exclusive dinner parties and serve their guests the exotic dishes of the day. Upper-class Romans were most families whose lineage could be traced back to the founding of Rome. Originally, these families were the ones primarily consisting of the Senate. There are those of the higher middle class that are wealthy merchants who also enjoy the riches that they possess and the connections it allows them to form to others of higher positions.

Poorer Romans (the lower class), however, had a very different lifestyle. Sweating it out in the city, they lived in shabby houses that could collapse or burn at any moment. If times were hard, they might abandon newborn babies to the streets, hoping that someone else would take them in as a servant or slave. Poor in wealth but strong in numbers, they were the Roman mob, who relaxed in front of the popular entertainment of the time – chariot races between opposing teams, or gladiators fighting for their life, fame and fortune.

Although their lives may have been different, they did have some things in common. In any Roman family life, the head of the household was a man. Although his wife looked after the household, he controlled it. He alone could own property. Only he decided the fate of his children and who they would marry.

Romans currently on the site:

• Nobles:
• Felix Valerius

[li]Citizens:

• Attius
• Varro

Slaves were persons owned by another, working entirely for the benefit of their owners and sustained only by such food, clothing, and shelter as their owners provided them. Slaves were legally property, and could be punished or even killed by their owners without consequence. Slaves in the Roman Republic often constituted half of the populations in the cities, and became the primary source of manual labor, displacing the small farmers and workers who had previously provided such labor. As Rome expanded, new slaves were acquired primarily as prisoners of war, but also by slave mating, or by abduction and sale by pirates, most notably the Cilician Pirates.

Roman slaves served a Dominus, Domina, or both.

Different Types of Slaves:

• Body Slave: The Body Slave was a personal attendant to a Dominus or Domina. They attend their masters wherever they go. Usually a female slave would belong to a Domina while male slaves attend a Dominus (though there are a few exceptions). Some body slaves typically enjoy a "closer" relationship with their immediate master/mistress than other household slaves. The intimate working relationship that came with the association of their master gave them much influence in the household as well as being a position of personal advancement.
• Chief Slave: The body slaves were not always the top household slave. An experienced and skilled individual trained in management was required in the absence of the body-slave. In fact the body-slave would have otherwise been entirely subordinate to the latter if not for his appointment to the dominus or domina. They are considered the head servant of elite households, and was sometimes a steward as well as responsible for accounts and payments; they served as a head administrator in the running of the Villa.
• Armed Slave: Slaves trusted enough to carry a weapon and act in as private security and/or bodyguard for their dominus. Some masters employed gladiators into this role. Armed slaves also may supervise the other slaves on the estate serving as guards among the others. Some of these slaves were also tasked with herding livestock and traveling to the countryside, armed with weapons to protect their master's properties against theives.
• Servus Publicus: They were owned by the state rather than by a private individual. They were used for manuel labour in the templtes, forums and other public buidlings. They were also employed as assistants to both magistrates and members of the College of Pontiffs (Roman priesthoods). Public slaves who were literate would serve in bureaucratic roles for the Senate and assemblies (jobs including notaries, accountants, secretaries, scribes and ushers).
• Nexus: They were formerly free members of Roman society who sold themselves into slavery due to debt. They are perhaps better identified as indentured servants, as their servitude was meant to last until their debts were paid.

Slaves currently on the site:

• Melitta
• Nasir
• Pietros

Please copy, paste and fill out the form into a new thread if you are going to be away for a week or more. If you will only be gone an afternoon or a day or three days, you do not need an away notice, this is just for if you will be gone more then five days, and thus will not be able to make the three posts a week!

Character(s) you play:

Date due to leave:

Date due back:

Estimation of days you will be gone:

[blockquote][color=dd4e00][b]Character(s) you play:[/b][/color]

[color=dd4e00][b]Date due to leave:[/b][/color]

[color=dd4e00][b]Date due back:[/b][/color]

[color=dd4e00][b]Estimation of days you will be gone:[/b][/color][/blockquote]

The Challenge for this thread is....

GLADIATORS

• Details: By Gladiators, we mean for you to design a graphic that is centered around the gladiators. It can include one gladiator, a couple, a few, or as many as you like, as well as can be either canons or OCs. It can include whatever images you like; it can be a still, or gif, or anything at all. It's entirely up to you as we give you all creative freedom!
• Post Limit: You can post more than one graphic for this challenge. There is no limit to how many you can do.
• Dimensions: There are no specified dimensions for this challenge. But please do not exceed the width of 600 pixels.

If you have any questions or require any clarification, feel free to PM the admin. Happy Graphics Making Everyone!

The Challenge for this thread is....

SLAVES

• Details: By Slaves, we mean for you to design a graphic that is centered around the slaves. It can include one slave, a couple, a few, or as many as you like, as well as can be either canons or OCs. It can include whatever images you like; it can be a still, or gif, or anything at all. It's entirely up to you as we give you all creative freedom!
• Post Limit: You can post more than one graphic for this challenge. There is no limit to how many you can do.
• Dimensions: There are no specified dimensions for this challenge. But please do not exceed the width of 600 pixels.

If you have any questions or require any clarification, feel free to PM the admin. Happy Graphics Making Everyone!

The Challenge for this thread is....

EPISODE PROMO POSTER

• Details: By Promo Poster, we mean for you to design a promotional poster based on any of the episodes of Spartacus. Please designate one poster/graphic for a different episode. It can include whatever images, quotes, etc you like; it can be a still, or gif, or anything at all. It's entirely up to you as we give you all creative freedom!
• Post Limit: You can post more than one graphic for this challenge. There is no limit to how many you can do.
• Dimensions: There are no specified dimensions for this challenge. But please do not exceed the width of 600 pixels.

If you have any questions or require any clarification, feel free to PM the admin. Happy Graphics Making Everyone!