The rich lived, dressed, and even ate differently from the poor. In the city, rich Romans built their town houses far away from the noisy, narrow streets of the poor.
Rich homes often looked plain from the outside. But inside they were expensive and comfortable. They had sunny courtyards, pools, and gardens. The rich filled their houses with furniture made of bronze, ivory, and rare wood. Brightly painted walls were decorated with murals. Many wealthy Romans also had big country estates. Those were called villas.
Only rich children went to school. They started at about age 6, and most were done by age 12. Boys and girls had separate schools. Girls finished school before boys. Then they got ready for marriage. Some boys kept studying. They became the empire’s leading citizens. At 14, Roman boys took part in a special ceremony to mark the end of childhood.
