Did the Romans live better than us? | Quality of Life and Salaries

Video Statistics and Information

Video
Captions Word Cloud
Reddit Comments
Captions
The IIIrd century AD was a traumatic time  for the Roman Empire. They were forced to   deal with mass barbarian invasions and  growing internal instability. But one   of the most critical problems for the  Empire was the rampant inflation that   had been growing unchecked for almost  a century. By the reign of Diocletian,   the economy was at the point that it was normal to  combine payments in cash with “payments in kind”. In a desperate response to this, emperor  Diocletian and his colleagues created   one of the largest pieces of Roman economic  legislation, and it was to be displayed for   everyone to see. It is now known as the Edict on  Maximum Prices, and would read out hundreds of   different goods and services, as well as the  maximum prices at which they could be sold.   This was in hopes that if there were  universal fixed prices for everything,   it would put an end to the constantly  growing prices and profiteering.   This attempted remedy might seem simplistic and  totally inefficient to us living in the XXIst   century, but even with all our modern knowledge  of advanced economics, we still struggle with   controlling and predicting Inflation. Obviously, the edict was very hard   to strictly enforce, especially throughout the  Empire. So, it remained a failed experiment.   However, what this surviving list represents  to us today are the vast amount of common   goods at that time, as well as their relative  prices in the eyes of the Roman rulership. So today, we decided to have some  fun with this list, and dive into   the lives of 3 real individuals who  we found to have lived at that time,   and who represented 3 different social  classes. We will examine their income,   diet, and the commodities that they could  afford, and hopefully portray to you their   quality of life. Be sure to like and  subscribe for more videos like this. The first man on our list is Theodorus, a 30  year old man who lives in the town of Thera,   on the island of Santorini. According to the Roman  tax records, Theodorus is married to Euporia,   a 20 year old woman with whom he has a 2 year  old daughter named Eudoxia. To make a living,   Theodorus works as a tenant farmer, which means  he works on the land of his landowner, to whom all   his produce goes to. In exchange, his landowner  pays him a stable salary and covers his taxes.   According to the Roman Census, Theodorus  alone works with 8.5 hectares of arable land,   2 hectares of vineyards and 18 olive trees.  According to the Edict, Theodorus’ salary   would be 25 denarii per day, plus the daily food  ration he is owed. Assuming he works an average of   6 days a week, let’s see if Theodorus can sustain  his family with the 150 denarii he earns weekly. For the quantities of common goods required for  one adult male, we will use the “mediterranean   respectability basket” of historian Robert Allen.  We will also assume that Theodorus’ wife and   daughter would together eat like another adult  male. So, the yearly quantities will be divided   by 52 weeks, and then multiplied by 2, to get  an average weekly amount for Theodorus’ 3 person   family. The most dominant food in the common Roman  diet was bread, it was both their biggest source   of protein and their biggest expense. Theodorus’  family needed about 7 kilograms of bread a week.   For this, they would need about 4.4 kilograms  of wheat at 8 denarii per kilogram, totalling   to a weekly expense of 35.5 denarii. And this  is considering the family baked their own bread.   If not, they would have to pay the local baker  to do it for them, which will cost an extra seven   denarii. If needed, they could cut the expenses  even more by making barley or rye bread instead,   which would cut this expense by half… Olive oil  is another “must” in any Roman family’s diet.   Each week they would need about 200 ml. The  price however, ranged from 12 to 40 denarii,   depending on the press of the oil. If Theodorus  would buy the budget option, it would come down   to 4.8 denarii a week... But a good roman  family cannot exist only on grain and olive   oil. Theodorus would need to complement the diet  with everything he can get at an affordable price.   Beans and peas are a nutritious supplement, of  which they would need a total of 2 kilograms. The   most expensive ones, being broad beans, lentils,  chickpeas, and kidney beans all cost 7.4 denarii   a kilogram, and the family could have cycled  between these every day for a more exciting diet.   Out of the Vegetables and fruits, some great  options include : cabbage, lettuce, beets,   onions, leeks, apples and peaches, which are  all sold at 4 denarii a bundle. For about   20 denarii, Theodorus could get a healthy  combination of 5 of these every week.   For drinking, the family would purchase a  liter of ordinary wine and wheat beer at   16 and 8 denarii respectively. Regarding animal  products, the most affordable options are eggs,   at 1 denarii a piece (-5), and cheese, at  2 denarii for 200 grams. Meat and fish are   luxurious items, as even the cheapest pieces cost  between 6-12 denarii for every 300g. Theodorus and   his family would only reserve such expenses for  special occasions or butchering season discounts. With the food covered, Theodorus still has to  pay for other commodities such as clothing,   shoes, heating, rent and saving money for taxes.   For heating, 136kg of firewood costs 30 denarii,  but this expense would vary with the passing   season. It would be wise for Theodorus to  put away some money in the warmer seasons,   just in case the winter turns out colder  than expected, and more firewood is needed. Clothes and shoes would have been the most  expensive items Theodorus would have to buy,   so he would always take very good care of  them. Unfortunately, he has worn out the   sole of his left sandal beyond repair, and needs  a replacement. The cheapest farmer sandals cost   50 denarii a pair, but Theodorus would only  afford to buy one of them, at half the price.   This was very common with sandals, as they  didn’t differ left from right. A quality   tunic would be out of reach for Theodorus’  family, as they all start at 500 denarii.  Instead, they would buy cheap 3rd quality coarse  linen, at 218 denarii per kilogram at the market   and weave their own clothes at home. But  even this would be very uncommon for them,   and they would stick to repairing their  clothes through the years instead.   Most of the spare money the family would have  at this point would be spent on tools for the   house and other minor needs. In this case, they  need a new pot, and a sewing needle for repairs.   The remaining 15 denarii would be a good  amount to save in case of minor emergencies. Experts and scholars have concluded, as we have  now, that the average Roman in this period was   capable of providing his family with an average of  2000 daily calories, clothing, a place to live and   even cover some secondary needs of the household.  Therefore, the average Roman in the IIIrd century   would live better than most serfs and medieval  peasants that came after, and relatively similar   to XVIIIth century workers in Europe or Asia. Even better, if the Roman pleb was physically   fit and capable, he could join the army, like  our next character on the list, and upgrade his   standard of living and social class. This was very  desirable not only for the lower class, but also   for the military recruiters, who, in the words  of Vegetius, always preferred recruits from the   countryside than the city, because they were more  accustomed to cheaper diets and harder labour. Our next character is Aurelius Flavinus, a 36  year old Soldier in the 11th Claudia legion,   stationed near modern day Venice. He was born in  Illyricum around 266 AD, and enlisted in the 11th   legion at the age of 16. For the next 14 years, he  served faithfully and earned a promotion to Optio,   a rank he has held ever since. Now, his detachment  has been sent to Mauretania for an expedition. The official soldier salary in the  IIIrd century was 3.600 denarii,   a meager quantity of 69 denarii a week. Fortunately, the military comes with its   benefits. Aurelius receives a food pension  of 600 denarii plus 2 generous donatives   of 5.000 denarii each year from the Emperors. Also, since Aurelius’ detachment is on a foreign   expedition, he and his comrades are quartered  among the civilian population, and so don’t   need to pay for a roof over their heads. The  law states that his host must provide him with   one 3rd of the house as a private residence, as  well as oil, wine, and other minor commodities… The only problem with his official salary is  the incomplete recovery of the monetary economy,   which means not all of this amount will  be given to Aurelius in the form of cash.   Instead, he could receive it as extra rations,  clothing, or weapons and armor. It is safe to   assume that only half this amount will be paid  to him in coin, while the other half he will   either keep or trade in to cover his expenses for  basic clothes and a diet similar to Theodorus’.  That leaves Aurelius with a  weekly budget of 137 denarii to   spend on things other than basic food and  necessities. Let’s see what he can buy ! This week is a special date for the unit, it is  the third anniversary of their victory over the   Mauritanians, and the men are all eager for some  celebrations. There is no doubt that the common   soldiers will go for a drink at the local taverns.  But those days are long gone for Aurelius,   he is now an Optio and has learnt to enjoy the  virtues of a little private reunion with some   of his officers. Sharing the expense with 5 of  his colleagues, he has bought a pair of chickens   for 60 denarii, 1 kg of beef for 24 denarii,  and 700 grams of boar meat for 32 denarii.   This menu will be supplemented by 20 oysters  at a denarii each, a kilogram of sardines for   48 denarii, and 4 liters of wheat beer for  72 denarii. Olive oil and bread will be used   from their own daily rations. Finally, they  will need wine for toasts and drinking. The   soldiers chose to spoil themselves with 1  liter of first quality wine from Picenum,   which costs nothing less than 90 denarii, an  appropriate choice to toast for fallen brethren. But spending everything on just  feasts is the fastest way to ruin,   as there must be enough money saved for  emergencies. In this case, Aurelius’ cloak is in   unacceptable condition, its color has almost faded  and some parts of the seams are getting undone.   The centurion has already noticed and warned him  about its appearance, so he cannot be seen with   it again. Getting a new cloak is out of the  question, as even the cheapest Italian made   hooded cloaks cost 4.000 denarii. Therefore, he  must visit the tailor for repairs. They charged   him 6 denarii for dying the cloak and another  4 denarii for stitching back the undone seams. Aurelius has also been saving up a long  time to buy a formal tunic for official   celebrations and parades. He is now an Optio,  and as the centurion’s second in command,   must look more presentable than the common  soldiers. Luckily for him, his city’s market is   full of cloth merchants and he is able to find  a tunic with purple bands for 2.000 denarii,   almost 15 times his weekly income. A plain  tunic without the bands costs a whopping 750   denarii cheaper. The reason for such a price  difference is because purple was a highly   expensive and tedious dye to produce, and was  reserved mostly for nobility and aristocrats.   A brighter pigment of purple indicated  multiple dying processes and a higher   quality look. So the price of purple also  varied exponentially depending on its tone. For Aurelius, even light purple bands will  suffice in impressing his colleagues and   everyone watching him at parades. Aurelius was  able to save up for the tunic quite comfortably,   as all his basic expenses of food and drink  are covered by the other half of his salary,   and he only needed to save up and  live off them for the past 15 weeks,   an achievable thing for one  with a military discipline. He also needs a new pair of military boots, as  the campaigning seasons were very rough on his   footwear and he hasn’t received any new ones  in the form of pay. A pair of quality military   boots are worth 100 denarii, almost all his weekly  income, so he will have to wait until next week   to buy them, if he wants to stick to his weekly  budget. He also needs to buy a new cup, as his   old one broke during the celebrations. At the  local market he is able to find a glass cup from   Alexandria worth 24 denarii and also purchases  a leather container for another 25 denarii. Lastly, attention must be paid to his personal  hygiene and there is no better place for that   than the public baths. A good bath session  will cost him 5 denarii, from which 2 go to   the superintendent, 2 for the guard tasked with  watching the clothes and one more for the bath’s   maintenance. As you can see, joining the army  led to a better than average quality of life.   Thrifty soldiers like Aurelius could amass small  fortunes to spend on minor luxuries like good   clothing, quality wine, and large parties,  all the while being covered for food, rent,   and medical treatment by the other half of their  payment. Upon retirement, it was all supplemented   by a large cash bonus or a land grant, plus fiscal  immunity for him and 4 members of his household.   We have found that upon Aurelius’ death at the age  of 40, he was able to boast a funerary monument   worth 10,000 denarii, almost a full year's  pay, all from his own pocket. This is proof   of the comfortable economic position some soldiers  enjoyed after their service with the eagles. But   despite his comfortable position, higher end  commodities like golden cups, fancy clothes or   exotic foods were all out of Aurelius’ reach. For  these, we will have to visit our last character. Our final man is Tatianus, a local aristocrat  and city council member of the city of Tralles   in Asia Minor. According to the Roman records,  Tatianus was a rich man, owning 14 properties of   first quality arable land totalling at least 285  hectares, and distributed around the surrounding   villages and countryside. In total, he has 7  slaves and around 30 tenant farmers plus their   families to work his lands on a daily basis. To get an idea of his wealth, we must first   estimate Tatianus’ expenses. Firstly, he must  pay the land and liability taxes for his tenants,   which amounts to a yearly sum of 206.700 denarii,  or about 4000 denarii a week. He would also have   to pay for the upkeep of his slaves and salaries  to his tenant farmers, amounting to 5.550 denarii.   This totals to a weekly expense of 9525 denarii.  Additionally, large taxes would have been imposed   on him periodically, as contributions to the  army, which would have greatly increased the   sum of money he would have to pay. But Tatianus  would have been more than able to pay these costs,   and it is safe to assume that his weekly  budget might have been at least five times   larger, at about 47 000 denarii. Now, let  us see how Tatianus would have lived ! Being a member of the local aristocracy  and city council, Tatianus was expected to   perform a wide set of compulsory obligations  for the Roman State and local community.   Some of these obligations included tax collection,  maintenance of public buildings and roads,   the purchase and distribution of free oil  and grain for the poor, and even providing   transportation, quarters and supplies to visiting  units of the Roman Army or Imperial bureaucracy.   And worst of all, in the case of any shortcomings  or failure, he will have to answer with his   property and wealth as compensation. And so,  his first expense this week is 2000 denarii   to fulfill his civilian obligations. It will  be used to feed the poor across the province. Next, he must see to maintaining his land.  The life of a landlord is not a quiet one,   and managing his states and main villa would make  Tatianus a very busy man. This week, an unexpected   event took place in one of his minor farms. Dizus,  the slave entrusted with farming the land has died   of feve. The situation presents a huge dilemma to  Tatianus, who must take a decision now in order to   not jeopardize this week's harvest. On the one  hand, a new healthy male slave capable of farming   costs 30.000 denarii, plus his maintenance, a very  expensive and risky investment. On the other hand,   hiring a new tenant farmer to replace the slave  is much cheaper, but it comes at the downside   of having to sign a contract detailing  the obligations and status of the farmer,   plus his salary and the increase in taxation  if he has a family to take care of. There is   also the possibility of him being conscripted  into the army in case of a military emergency.   Tatianus will go for the second option,  and pay the man his new weekly salary.   When it comes to slaves at this time in  Rome, they were a very expensive investment,   with some educated an skilled individuals costing  up to 60,000 denarii, and it would be a great   loss if something was to happen to them. As such,  most Roman households, including Tatianus, could   not afford to have them mistreated or abused.  Instead, they would likely be treated as members   of the family, with some accounts of owners  even freeing and marrying them as free people. But the death of a slave and finding his  replacement is nothing compared to the   magnitude of work the harvesting season will  require. Extra hands will be needed from among   the local free peasants, and the workforce needs  to grow from 37 to 64. Tatianus will have to   spend some coin for the seasonal laborers and pay  for their salaries at 25, and food pensions at 8   denarii a day. In total, paying them for 6 days  of work will cost him 5,346 denarii per week.   But the expenses don’t stop there, extra wagons,  spare parts, and draught animals will be needed   to transport the produce to wherever it’s  needed. Thankfully, Tatianus has a lot of oxen,   which are enough for the job, and we won't have  to buy a new ox for 5,000, or a strong horse for   36,000 denarii. He could use extra wagons though,  so he hires a wagon blacksmith for 50 denarii,   and new axles for 200 denarii to repair his  old wagon, but he also choses to purchase a   new one. The cheapest four wheeled wagon costs  1.500 denarii, but Tatianus will buy a larger   freight wagon for 3,500 denarii. Now he can  rest assured the harvest will be taken care of. But to poor Tatianus’ dismay,  his duties don’t end there.   Census officers at the capital have found the  records of the region of Tralles rather suspicious   and a member of the provincial administration is  already on his way with his entourage of scribes,   assistants, and a military escort to conduct an  investigation. There is no doubt that the imperial   officials are looking for tax evaders among the  local aristocracy, evident by the military escort.   Regardless, it is the solemn responsibility of the  town’s council to assist the envoy in his endeavor   and to provide lodgings, food, and any commodities  the envoy’s 100 men retinue might need. The town   council has decided that each of the hundred  counselors must contribute 3.000 denarii per month   out of their own pockets as a tax to provide  for the welfare of the retinue, for as long   as they need to stay in the city. For Tatianus,  this is another weekly expense of 750 denarii.   It may seem as a small quantity, but it adds to  the thousands of denarii he already pays each   month as part of his civilian obligations. The  imperial authority loves squeezing the local   councils of every spare denarii, be it in taxes,  donatives for the army, or forceful requisitions.   Fortunately for Tatianus’, he has nothing  to hide and his taxes are up to date. Now, he can finally focus on his own household  expenses. This week his wife is turning 38, and   he must plan a great feast for all their guests.  Most importantly, he must think of a gift for his   wife. Clothing is a great luxurious option, with  some quality garments like a silk dalmatica with   purple bands costing 135,000 denarii.. Probably  a great option for her 40th birthday. For the   one this week, it will be more meaningful to gift  her a custom made palla, a woman's garment worn   over the shoulder. For 12,000 denarii he will  buy 330 grams of wool which has been dyed twice   in the best Milesian purple. Then, he will take  it to a skilled weaver of wool and turn it into   a garment for 40 denarii. For the finishing touch,  he will take it to a gold embroiderer, who for 600   denarii, will stitch beautiful patterns into the  garment out of 90 grams of gold thread. The final   product will surely be stunning, which Tatianus’  wife will proudly wear in front of the guests. For the feast itself, there will have to be a big  expense. For wealthy Roman families, feasts were   largely an expression of wealth and status, and  Tatianus would have to uphold this social norm.   Therefore, his food must have as much variety as  possible, the more exotic, the better. So he sends   out his slaves to buy 2 kg of pork, 2 fattened  hen pheasants, 3 kg of beef sausage, 2 kg of boar   meat, 3kg of lamb, 4kg of gazelle meat, 2kg of pig  liver, 8 pigeons, 10 quails, 10 figpecker birds,   3 fattened geese, 3 hare, 20 dormice, 3kg of first  quality river fish, 3k of sea fish, 300 oysters,   100 sea urchins, and to top it off as the main  exotic dish, a full peackock for 300 denarii.  Now that the meat menu is out of the way,  the feast will need complimentary items,   like 3 kilograms of spiced salt, 2 liters of  best quality honey, 2 liters of first quality   virgin olive oil, 3 liters of first quality fish  sauce, 200 olives from Tarsus, 5 kg of cheese,   50kg of various fresh fruits and  vegetables. And to top it all off,   40 liters of best quality wine from Picenum  for 2,400 denarii. Tatianus would also have   to hire about 4 cooks and 5 water carriers for  325 denarii to cook and service the entire event.  For entertaining the guests and his 2 children,  Tatianus decided to purchase a live wild animal.   Large predators are the most  expensive, with a bear costing 25,000,   and a male lion costing 150,000. But for the  purpose of safe entertainment, buying an ostrich   for 5,000 denarii will do the trick. It is safe  to say, the birthday will be one to remember. Another expense on Tatianus’ list this week  will go towards educating his children. For   his younger daughter, he will hire a teacher  of Greek literature for 200 denarii a month,   and for his older son, a teacher of rhetoric  and public speaking for 250 denarii. Now Tatianus can enjoy a more personal expense.  He is planning to decorate the hall of his main   villa, and add something that will impress all  future guests with his wealth and taste for style.   He has managed to secure marble shipments from  Alexandria, Nicomedia and Thessalonica, by paying   a huge sum to the imperial administration, because  all marble and the quarries they come from are   property of the Emperor. With the marble, he hopes  to erect three beautiful columns in his villa,   one of red porphyry from Egypt, one of  serpentine marble from Thessaly and one   of white marble from Phrygia. They will cost  him 2500, 1500, and 2000 denarii respectively,   and will be about 3 meters high and 30 cm thick.  Transporting the stone by sea from Alexandria   to the nearest port at Ephesus will cost 119  denarii, while the shipments from Thessalonica   and Nicomedia will cost 120 and 90 denarii  respectively. Once in port, arranging the   transportation for the 64km long trip to  his villa will cost him 2,362 denarii more,   for the two days work of the drivers of wagons.  Finally, having a group of 4 stonemasons work on   the marble for 10 days and install them in place  will cost another 2,000. In total, the whole   project has cost Tatianus 10,691 denarii, almost  a quarter of his weekly income. But the pillars   will prove a beautiful addition to his villa,  and stand as an example of his taste and style. We hope this video gave you a good insight into  the quality of life of different societies in   ancient Rome. For more videos, be sure  to subscribe and consider joining our   generous Patreon supporters that make these videos  possible. We will see you all, in the next one !
Info
Channel: Historia Militum
Views: 1,794,528
Rating: undefined out of 5
Keywords: Roman Empire, Documentary, Lifestyle, Food and diet, Workout, Julius Caesar, Diocletian, Augustus, Ancient History, European History, Health and fitness, Roman economy, Roman prices, Quality of life, Living standards, Constantine, Medieval History, Epic History TV, Economics, Kings and Generals, farmers life, Soldiers, HBO Rome, English History, America, Canada, vlog, training and recruitment, Investing, Savings, Insurance
Id: OmKxmxGmzi8
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 23min 6sec (1386 seconds)
Published: Sat Feb 19 2022
Related Videos
Note
Please note that this website is currently a work in progress! Lots of interesting data and statistics to come.