NOTE: This is an average day. You can imagine the life of the first emperor of Rome was something of a chaotic job. There could be emergencies or deviations every day. Below is just an outline- a basic average day in the life.
Dawn (5:00–5:30): Wake up and grab a quick bite of bread and water, throw on your toga, and hit the road. Romans did not do breakfast and slept in their underclothes. Typically after a Roman woke up they hit the road as soon as they were physically able.
Early Morning (5:30–7:00): Romans were big on family and the family was the smalled political unit of Rome. Each noble family would be made up of slaves, female family members, young male family members, servants, employees, and more. These people were all apart of the family and the largest of these families could be thousands of people. The undisputed head of the family was the Pater Familias or “father of the family” and the position was held by the eldest male (usually- sometimes younger but more politically powerful men held the job). The Pater Familias was the absolute core of Roman family life and he would see too his estate and his family members. Augustus took this job seriously and was always hyper-focused on his family. He would have started each day taking account of goings-on in the estate, suitors for female family members, the health of the young men (and potential heirs), the happiness of the family, the royal bank account, gossip, and more.
Morning (7:00–8:00): Meet with advisors and go over imperial business. Early on Agrippa- the life long best friend of Augustus and the most capable general and administrator in the empire would be at Augustus’s side for all of this but he died in 12 BC at the age of 51 leaving massive shoes that would never be filled. You would be looking for updates on developing circumstances or new issues that need attention. There would have been a core of individuals advising the emperor- they would include
- An account or two to cover deficits, income, projections, and more. Augustus kept a close eye on the imperial accounts and wasted little and would be keen on if building projects were going over budget or if less tax was collected than had been projected
- A loyal high ranking senator or two, usually a current or previous Consul. These men would advise on the mood of the senate, how they thought votes were going to go, and if there were any conspiracies brewing. Augustus would usually advise them on how he wanted votes to go and they would work behind the scenes to ensure support. It is a good time to note that although Augustus held total power he did not advertise it. He wanted it to appear as though the Republic still functioned so if he wanted a law passed he would have had a loyal consul propose the law and he would have already ensured that the Senate would pass it. This is how Augusts was able to make an empire out of a Republic.
- Some experienced military men to advise on border security
- A diplomat or two to advise on any diplomatic matters. Typically these would involve Germanic tribes or the Parthians to the East.
- Tiberius- Tiberius was the heir apparent at the end of Augustus’s life. Augustus did not want Tiberius to be emperor and was very open about this. I will get into detail below but Augustus spent his life trying to find any male relative to take over for him- anyone bu Tiberius. In the end, the only male around was Tiberius and thus he became emperor. Tiberius would have been very involved in matters of state and would learn at the feet of the great Augustus.
- One important note is that Augustus’s wife Livia would have been consulted on many important issues. Romans did not marry for love but Augustus seemed to genuinely and deeply love his wife Livia and she, in turn, loved him. Augustus would consult her on nearly every issue and held her opinion in high regard. Have a female present when going over matters of state would have been extremely strange and offensive so she would not have been present in any meetings but she would certainly give her input in private later on.
Mid-morning (8:00–12:00): At this point, the Senate would convene and government business would commence. Augustus would sit in for many of these and ensure things went how he wanted them to go. He would not be heavy-handed about anything but he would engage in discourse, debate, and discussion throughout the day. He may have stayed in the senate-house the entire day if it was an important day or he may have just stopped in- really depends on what was on the agenda.
Noon (12:00–2:00): Assuming he was not tied up with the senate he may grab a bath at one of the many bathhouses or at home- maybe grab a quick lunch of dried meat or fish. Romans didn’t really do lunch either and would usually just eat a quick snack and be about their business. However, when it came to baths the Romans were all over it. The very center of Roman social life were the baths. You could wrestle, shop, eat, drink, and bathe with your nearest and dearest. Every Roman no matter how poor or old would generally go to the baths daily. Most stop in for a quick rinse and reprieve from the chaos of the streets and left an hour or so later to get back to the grind. To others though the baths began to be seen as the whole point of life. They would line up before the baths opened and spend their entire day lounging about and gossiping. Augustus was known to be a fan of the baths but he certainly never let it get in the way of his job.
Afternoon (2:00–4:00): Meet with advisors again quickly to go over anything that was missed earlier and start making your way to dinner. Romans had dinner early because once night came you had better be home. The city of Rome expanded naturally over centuries and a grid system was never laid out so the city was a confusing mess for 1.2 million people living there. Even life long urban Romans could not make their way around the city. Rome also had no lights so on top of being confusing it was also pitch black. One wrong turn and you are hopelessly lost and easy prey for muggers. In addition since the days of Caesar, all commerce traffic had to be conducted at night to alleviate the overcrowded roads. This meant that all the deliveries to all the stores that supplied 1.2 million people were done at night- in the pitch-black- so the odds of getting run over were pretty good. But dinner was a big deal so typically Romans ate dinner earlier than modern Americans and left with just enough time to get home at dusk.
Later afternoon (4:00–8:00): Romans would typically dine with a new group each night and popular/powerful Romans (like Augustus) would have been a hot ticket item- thus everyone worth a damn would be inviting him to dinner nightly. Augustus would accept the invitation of whomever he wanted- though usually, he dined with family and friends. Augustus was big on family and spent his entire reign and usually dined with them though he was certainly one to avoid taboos and dining the same place every night was seen as strange so he would occasionally go dine with one of his friends or political allies.
Night (8:00ish): Bed- Romans did not stay up late and as soon as the sun went down so did the Romans.
==============Variation: Fesitvlas============================
For fun let’s run through the same day but instead of it being a normal day let’s make it a holiday. In any given year the Romans celebrated roughly 120–150 holidays. I am asked sometimes if the Romans took weekends off. They didn’t and would find the idea of only 2 days off a week crazy. In Rome at least 1/3 of the days were holidays meaning for every 2 days you worked you had 1 day off.
Augustus would be the supplier of these holidays- literally. He would pay for the games, all the free food, all the wine, and all the other little details. This fact was made known to everyone again and again. Think of it like you were a poor Roman working every day in grinding poverty (like 90% of the world) but every couple days you got to watch some crazy naval battle in the stadium, eat your fill, and drink yourself stupid all thanks to 1 man- you can imagine that you may REALLY start to like that 1 man right?
Dawn (5:00–5:30): Same as above. Wake up grab a bite maybe and get dressed. Though for this occasion Augustus would dress up a bit as he would be seen in public all day. He may wear ceremonial robes or paint his face- depends on the holiday
Early Morning (5:30–7:00): As above Augustus would see to his family as Pater Familia though on this occasion it would be less about gossip and goings-on and more about getting everyone ready. Accompanying the emperor in Public would have been his family and they would need to be presentable as well. After everyone was ready off they went
Morning (7:00–8:00): Augustus would likely meet with advisors quickly and ensure there wasn’t anything pressing to attend to. After a quick meeting, he was off to the celebrations.
Mid-morning to Afternoon (8:00–2:00): Now the party would begin. There were typically 3 parts to any holidays
- Religious rituals
- Games
- Feasts
First would be the games (usually). At the start, there would have likely been a speech where Augustus would address the people of Rome. He would have spoke in the arena or from the stands depending on the day and he would have had his family with him. He would be keen to have his heir (Tiberius) with him and his heir may have even had a speech of his own. This was an easy way to introduce the future emperor to the people in a friendly way and was also good for showing unity to any opponents of the regime. Note that Augustus may have given his speech after the games it just depends on the day. Augustus was the first emperor and really wasn’t one to advertise his position so he would not have some grand box seat where he decided the fates of gladiators. He would have special seats separated from the poor but nothing like the movie gladiator. With him would be his family- each presented to the Roman people. Being seen with the emperor in public was enough to jump-start a political career so young male family members would have been keen to sit next to Augustus. Augustus would watch the games with everyone else and likely enjoy himself. He was a big fan of games and entertainment and he was known to have thrown the most lavish and spectacular games yet seen in Rome.
Early Afternoon (2:00–5:00):
At this point, the religious observances would begin. Another note is that Roman holidays varied wildly in terms of religious rituals and some holidays were an all-day affair while most done the late afternoon. Sometimes these rituals involved old senators running around naked trying to whip people. To be whipped was supposed to grant one fertility so Roman women would try to be whipped. This upset the senators as the fun of it was the chase and they thought these women running up them was bad sport but I digress. Usually, though the religious ritual involved a chant or prayer at a statue or temple and there was some symbolic action taken like moving a statue or covering it’s feet. Augustus was the head of the Roman religion and would have taken part in many of these rituals. If he didn’t take part he would at least be present and prominently seated- after all the optics of the emperor missing an offering to the gods was all wrong.
Early evening to late evening (5:00 to 12:00): Next would be feasts! Romans LOVED feasts almost as much as they loved games. Food was free and everyone dined in the street together. With some holidays there would be other things to do like caroling, gambling for nuts, or dancing. There would be bread, meat, olive oil, sweets, and most importantly wine to go around. Augustus would be present at these feasts. Generally, Augustus was a pretty approachable guy and if you lived in Rome the chances of you speaking with him one on one were good. Often Augustus would be right there in the middle of it socializing and drinking with everyone. Occasionally he would just stop through and then dine in his villa or at a friends villa,
After gorging themselves Romans would drink and drinks some more. As I said above nights in Rome were dangerous due to a combination of pitch-black streets, insane cart traffic, a horrible confusing layout, and an abundance of muggers. Due to this danger Romans typically left dinner and made their way home as soon as the sun start to set. This was not the case during the holidays. Typically the streets were lit candles or torches and you could enjoy yourself well into the evening.
Early morning (12:00-, maybe earlier on some holidays): Finally after eating, drinking, and partying all day everyone would go to bed.
NOTE: Every holiday was different (kinda like the modern US) and not every holiday would follow this template
Last I will leave you with a couple of crucial notes on what motivated and guided Augustus during his reign. I realize it is long so read the bold for a quick summary.
Health issues: Augustus was a very sickly man and he was laid low with illness countless times during his life. He (and everyone else) honestly thought he was about to die numerous times. It surprised everyone- Augustus most of all- that he survived well into his 70s. His long life leads to a long 40+ year reign and this is what allowed the empire to take hold. If Augustus had died before he would establish this new political order as the norm it is likely that civil war would have followed his death and the old broken republic may have reemerged. Due to this fact, the issue of succession was always on the front of his mind.
Succession: Due to his poor health and his desire to maintain stability in the empire Augustus was deeply concerned with the issue of succession early on. He would spend his life desperately searching for a male relative. In the absence of any real options, Agrippa was made heir until a male relative could be found. Augustus’s marriage with Livia produced no children and he only had 1 daughter from a previous marriage named Julia so Augustus would marry his daughter to Agrippa thus making Apgrippa his son and law and heir apparent. Thankfully for Augustus, this marriage was a fruitful one. Out of the marriage between Julia and Agrippa 5 children were born including 3 males named Lucius Gaius and Postumus. Augustus would keep Agrippa as heir until his sons could grow up but suddenly as a shock to everyone Agrippa died in 12 BC at the age of 51. This devastated Augustus as Agrippa was not only his best friend but was also the right-hand man of the imperial government. Augustus decided he had to live as long as he could and raise the 3 sons of Agrippa and just hope they could come of age before he died. As a backup plan Augustus married his widowed daughter to his son in law (creepy). The marriage between Tiberius and Julia soon fell apart due to Julia's high sexual nature. She had basically slept with everyone she could find in Rome openly and humiliated Tiberius. When Augustus- who always preached purity for women- found out about this he was furious and he banished Julia and annulled the marriage. Free of Julia and upset over the fact that Augustus was favoring Lucius and Gauis as heirs over him Tiberius went into self-exile renouncing the throne. This too infuriated Augustus who went into a rage over it and made Tiberius’s self exile a real exile. In the wake of all of this drama both Gaius and Lucius would die young much to the horror of Augustus who had raised them as his own. Augustus then turned to the third son of Agrippa Postumus but found only an evil, deviant, selfish, and cruel young man. Augustus tried to make him better and turn him into a good person but ultimately he was unable to do so and had to exile Postumus from Rome. With no other options, Augustus finally brought back Tiberius and named him heir under the condition that Tiberius would adopt the nephew of Augustus, Germanicus. Given this constant drama of ups and downs, you can imagine that the issue of succession took up a ton of the emperor's time and brainpower.
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