Since the countryside played a significant role in the economy of the Roman Empire in terms of trade and shipping, cities were considered the center of life, where trade goods were to be sold and bought, and entertainment for the masses was to be provided, and social networks were to be formed. Rural areas included farms, villages, and estates with farmers and traders. It has become customary to believe cities provided and prospered as a result of the great number of jobs, high sanitary standards, and social contacts that the populace established - Rome was the largest city in the Empire, with a population of approximately 1 million people. Even yet, urban life has demonstrated the negative aspects of city living, which will be explored in the essay, as well as the motivations for relocating to cities and whether life was better or worse in metropolitan areas in general. How, exactly, is the question? Archaeologists have unearthed human skeletal remains and acquired data that can be used to infer information about internal migration, as well as structural data that can be used to calculate the sizes of cities and the networks that connect them. Analyses of skeletal materials provide information on the Roman Empire, its people, as well as the general health and social standards of the towns. Anthropological and palaeopathological studies have the understanding of the examination of skeletal remains, indicating replies to medical responses from ancient sources where the literature might explain the life and disease of a particular person. The limitations of these sources, on the other hand, make them less reliable because the preservation of the bones can be poorly handled and recorded by excavators, reducing their credibility. Nonetheless, remains can provide simple indicators regarding the health, stature, diseases, and dietary habits of persons who live in urban areas, if they are properly preserved. The skeletal analysis in this essay has been grouped into the categories of trauma, nutritional data, diseases, and entertainment.
Furthermore, cities were renowned for having higher concentrations of people who lived in close quarters, making it easier for illnesses to spread quickly between them. Influenza-like diseases are caused by infections caused by viruses and bacteria in humans, which can be spread by contact with animals or ingestion of contaminated food and drink. A study conducted by Minozzi and their colleagues found that infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and brucellosis are more prevalent among lower socioeconomic classes and increase with urbanization for example, their observations revealed that changes to a plate in the skull of a young woman were caused by infectious diseases. This showed that the infections had spread across the population and that sanitary conditions were inadequate in the area. In the wake of the discovery of the skeletal remains, it has been discovered that dental hygiene was not practiced at the time of the finding. Following their examination, Lazer discovered that dental therapy was uncommon among the Pompeian people, as evidenced by the absence of any indication of oral care in the sample, which also gives insight into the overall health of the Pompeian people. If you have cardiovascular disease or pulmonary illness, you will experience significant health problems and dental difficulties. Both of these diseases are avoidable diseases. Osteoarthritis, a chronic illness that causes degeneration of the joints, was regarded to be the most frequent disease, with the most common causes being age and stress. Moreover, Minozzi and their colleagues asserted that additional joint illnesses, such as ankylosing spondylitis, might be identified in skeletal remains, with one of their samples displaying modifications due to age and severe osteoarthritis, as well as pathological signs of deformation. As previously noted, the establishment of public baths was incorporated into the growth of cities since the majority of the population could not afford to pay for a private bath at the time. In ancient Roman society, bathing was considered significant, which meant that public baths were major social gathering places, and as a result, they were used regularly by members of the general public. The water, on the other hand, was not frequently purified, and the warm water led to the spread of bacteria in the water distribution system. Because of this, the urban cemetery effect, which claims that urban areas have higher mortality rates than rural areas while rural areas have lower mortality rates, is widely theorized and studied. As a result of the widespread disease, the population suffered from high mortality rates, but cities were able to maintain their viability by attracting a steady influx of migrants, even though the connection of land and sea between the territories of the Empire made infectious diseases more easily spread.
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The difference between urban and rural places is that trauma was often treated due to nutritional diversity and being able to acquire the food and medical attention needed, whereas rural areas did not have these options. The study's faults, on the other hand, include the absence of rural trading, which allowed the Roman Empire to gain from agricultural labor and trade the goods into cities and to other countries, such as Egypt, to supplement its income. On the other hand, the capitals provided a better and higher quality diet, as well as imported goods from other cities, which is evident from Lazer and Minozzi et al`s study due to the healing from samples from different cities, as well as the occupations related to food and drink ranged from baker to wine dealer, indicating that food and drink were important economic and health factors in the period. As Erica Rowan argued, a powerful desire for nutritional diversity existed in a society where the wealthy could afford imported goods, as demonstrated by their observation from a sewer at Herculaneum, where they discovered 114 different edible foodstuffs. The food economy had evolved between the early and late Roman eras, as seen by the contrasts between them. Even while people were still consuming the same staple foods, the growth in items such as black pepper and fish demonstrates a shift in cultural taste in a region where fishermen and farmers were required to support the economy. Larger quantities of fish necessitated the hiring of more fishermen and equipment, which was also manufactured by workers, the job market necessitated an increase in those employed in the food industry. Additionally, the increased importation of goods necessitated the hiring of more merchants and ships. Furthermore, as the economy grew, residences and apartments were transformed into factories or bakeries. As a result of this development, individuals began to migrate to cities in order to become either consumers or workers for commercial products, as the Roman Empire was heavily reliant on the economic framework.
Health and sanitation standards were needed as cities provided bathhouses and aqueducts to ensure the health of peopleâs lives. The Roman Empire constructed cities utilizing the same type of city layouts, with streets that were straight and on a grid, and a central area that included forums, government offices, temples, markets, and meeting areas, as well as other facilities. Aqueducts were constructed outside of towns to supply water to fountains and public baths. This can provide insight into the skeletal remains of select members of the population since the bones can reveal their stature and health. Lazer explained that long bone length could provide reliable indicators of the general health of the populations in which they discuss Pompeian skeletal samples and suggest that the mean length for the Roman samples is shorter than other samples from the Iron Age, which has been an indication of health stress in the past. The assumption that cities can bring health benefits is not a new one, but it is based on faulty premises. The stature of Pompeiians is consistent with that of other Roman communities throughout the Empire, indicating a period of poor growth and stress throughout the growing years. This shows that residing in urban areas did not provide as many benefits to the general public. The relevance of the stature of the inhabitants of Pompeii is the insight it provides into how people lived their lives, including their diet and health. However, even though the sample of skeletal remains was collected much later than the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the sample of skeletal remains is not representative of the entire population or the entire population of Italy. This indicates that the event either interfered with or destroyed the remnants. Also, bioarchaeology is a relatively young field of study, it is unclear whether such conclusions can be applied to the entire Italian population. On the other hand, urban life provided individuals with a varied variety of work opportunities, including those in the fields of culinary arts, literature, drama, art, medicine, and entertainment. Moving to cities allows people to have a better life and work in a profession they like, while also advancing Roman culture in terms of the arts and the law as a result of this movement. Consider the following example: relief from a Roman tomb represents a man and a woman working together in the shop; however, it is unclear whether they were a couple or if they were an employer and an employee from the perspective of the relief. A throne-like chair was planned for the woman, and the environment was intended to be filled with exquisite furnishings, signifying that they were affluent in the eyes of the artist who created this relief. It is believed that the lady is a scribe, according to historian Natalie Kampen, and this is an important distinction to highlight since the relief represents the division of labor, in which men and women share economic opportunities and domestic responsibilities. When you consider that the death rate in Roman civilization was higher than the birth rate, it is reasonable to conclude that the cities obliged everyone to work for the Empire to keep it alive. A fresco showing the Nucerian riot, on the other hand, provides important evidence for the reasons why people traveled to cities in ancient times. The outbreak of violence was the result of a quarrel between the towns of Pompeii and Nuceria over the organization of a gladiator attraction. In other words, entertainment was regularly presented in front of a huge audience that consisted of individuals from a variety of cities. With a seating capacity of 20,000 seats, which corresponded to the estimated population of the city at the time, and details of the fresco, such as sunshades, it was clear that gladiator games were popular they were considered to be part of the Roman Empire's social norm at the time of the gladiator games' popularity.
In conclusion, the reasons for choosing to live in cities are based on a subjective viewpoint because cities offer the opportunity to experience a different way of life where trade and entertainment thrived, as well as social networks, but archaeological evidence has revealed that life in urban areas is fraught with danger. The lives of persons in a sample of skeletal remains have been discussed in Lazer and Minozzi et al investigations. There was no dental care available, and there was no medical assistance available to treat infections such as tuberculosis, which resulted in a high death rate in the city. Disease spread was common in a population that was growing. Additionally, sanitation was poor due to a lack of attention when it came to bath facilities, as the water was not cleaned regularly, allowing bacteria to build up and spread throughout the facility. However, one of the advantages of city life over rural life was the greater variety of commodities available through trade and importation. This meant that people had a better diet that included luxury items such as meat, which were not common in the Mediterranean diet at the time of writing. This also meant that people were able to work as merchants, traders, or in occupations that are unique to them because the development of the food industry needed more people working to provide for the consumers' buyers. Besides providing socialization through entertainment, such as gladiator games and marketplaces, the city also gave opportunities for consumers to acquire what they needed while conversing with the producers-sellers who produced the goods. The skeletal bones collected information that may be used to enlighten academics and scholars about the life of a person who lived in places such as Pompeii in the past. However, there are certain restrictions, such as improper treatment by excavators and natural catastrophes such as earthquakes or the eruption of Mount Vesuvius the ash from the eruption could either preserve or destroy the remnants of the volcano. Although this is true, the remains have aided scholars in their talks on urban life, including the recording of health, stature, and diseases, as well as the study of meals.
Bibliography:
- Joshel, S. R. (1992) Work, Identity, and Legal Status at Rome, 171-183. Oklahoma.
- Kampen, N. (1981) Image and Status: Roman Working Woman in Ostia. Dresden.
- Rowan, E. (2017) Sewers, Archaeobotany, and Diet at Pompeii and Herculaneum in M. Flohr and A. Wilson Economy in Pompeii, 111-135. Oxford.
- Lazer, E. (2017) Skeletal Remains and the Health of the Population at Pompeii in M. Flohr and A. Wilson Economy in Pompeii, 135-163. Oxford.
- Minozzi S, Catalano P, Caldarini C, Fornaciari G. (2012) âPalaeopathology of Human Remains from the Roman Imperial Age, Karger, 268â283.
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