City of Rome

Rome was the largest city in the ancient world. Its population ranged from 500,000 to 750,000. The city which included some of the grandest building of the era, was made up largely of small poorly built homes. Fire and was a constant problem.

Rome was so large that the surronding countriside could not feed it, thus grain was constantly imported. Citizens were provided with grain and other staples at low prices. This kept the vast mass of the population happy.

To further keep the populous happy the emperors expended a great deal of effort on entertainment. The major form of public entertainment were the gladiatorial games. Most of the participants in the games were either slaves or criminals. The games were very popular in Rome. As Roman empire Tacitus wrote:"Few indeed are to be found who talk about of any other subjects in their homes, and whenever we enter a classroom, what else is the conversation of youths."