Children in Ancient Rome held a central place in Roman family life, since they represented the future of the household and, in wealthier families, the hope of carrying on the family name for generations to come. Their daily lives were shaped by their family’s wealth, their gender, and the strict authority of their father, who was the legal head of the household. While some Roman children enjoyed a comfortable upbringing filled with education, toys, and games, others worked from an early age and had little chance to attend school. Childhood in Ancient Rome was therefore not a single experience but many different ones, all tied to a person’s place in the Roman world.
A Roman family, called a familia, was more than just parents and their children. It also included enslaved people, servants, freed slaves, and other relatives who lived under the same roof and shared the household’s resources. This meant that a Roman child grew up surrounded by many people of very different social positions, and the size and comfort of that household depended heavily on whether the family was rich or poor.
What Was Ancient Rome?
Ancient Rome was one of the most powerful civilizations in world history. It began as a small city-state on the Italian peninsula and grew over many centuries into a vast empire that stretched from Britain in the northwest to Egypt in the southeast. At its height, this empire controlled much of Europe, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East. Roman civilization is remembered today for its lasting contributions to law, government, architecture, language, and culture.
The history of Ancient Rome is usually divided into two main periods. The Roman Republic lasted for centuries, during which elected officials shared power. In 27 BCE the Republic gave way to the Roman Empire, ruled by emperors, which lasted in the west until the 400s CE. Throughout both periods, the family remained the basic building block of Roman society, and the way children were raised reflected the values that Romans held most dear.
Ancient Roman society was organized into a strict hierarchy of social classes that determined a person’s rights, opportunities, and daily life. A person’s place in society was largely determined by the family they were born into, the wealth they held, and whether they were a free citizen, a freed slave, or an enslaved person. For a fuller picture of these social classes, see the HistoryCrunch article on Ancient Roman Society.
Who Was in Charge of Roman Children?
Roman families were patriarchal, which means the oldest living male, called the paterfamilias, held authority over everyone in the household. This included his wife, his children, and any enslaved people the family owned. He controlled family property, arranged marriages, and made major decisions affecting the entire household. Children were expected to obey him without question.
This legal power was known as patria potestas, meaning “power of the father.” This power technically remained in place for as long as the paterfamilias lived, even after his children became adults. In practice, the extent of this authority varied considerably depending on the family and the time period. In the earliest centuries of Rome, the law even allowed a father the extreme right of life and death over his children, though this power was rarely used and was limited by law over time.
In reality, most Roman fathers loved their children and wanted them to succeed. Roman mothers, particularly in wealthier families, often exercised real influence over household decisions, the raising of children, and family finances, even if the law gave formal authority to the father. A mother, called the materfamilias, played a large role in raising young children and teaching daughters the skills they would need later in life.
How Were Newborns Welcomed Into a Roman Family?
The birth of a child was an important event, but it was also surrounded by uncertainty. When a baby was born, it was placed on the ground, and the father decided whether to accept the child into the family by lifting it up. If he chose not to accept the child, the newborn could be abandoned, a practice known as exposure, which was different from the family raising the child.
Life for infants was fragile in the ancient world. Many children died before their first birthday, and disease was a constant danger. Because of this high risk, families deeply valued the children who survived, and boys were especially prized because they would carry on the family name into the future.
A few days after birth, a Roman child was given a special charm to wear around the neck called a bulla. For both boys and girls, it was common to wear a charm around their necks. This charm was called a bulla and was given to the child when he or she was a few days old. The bulla was believed to protect the child from harm, and a boy wore his until he became an adult.
What Did Roman Children Wear?
The clothing of Roman children was simple and practical. The most common article of clothing for Romans, children and adults included, was a knee-length tunic which was more or less the same for adults and children. In colder weather, a child could wear a cloak over the tunic to stay warm.
Clothing could also show a child’s social status. Free rich boys also wore a toga with purple borders which displayed their social importance. This special garment, known as the toga praetexta, marked a boy as a freeborn Roman. Girls, on the other hand, wore a tunic and also used a woollen belt which was tied around their waist.
What Was Education Like for Roman Children?
Education in Ancient Rome depended heavily on a family’s wealth. The father would decide what kind of education the children in the home would have. If the family were wealthy, the boy children would get a chance to either get a tutor or go to school in a schoolhouse. More specifically, wealthy boys learned to read, write, and speak in public, skills that would help them in politics and business later in life.
The daily routine of a Roman child often began with a simple breakfast, followed by lessons in the morning. Mornings were generally reserved for the education of the children, which was either imparted by the mother or the hired tutor. Wealthy families frequently hired enslaved and educated Greeks to serve as tutors, since Greek learning was highly respected in Rome.
For poor children, formal schooling was often out of reach. Low-income families would have children educated at home or they would have no education whatsoever. Slaves and moms and dads would sometimes teach their children to read or write because these families could not afford to hire a tutor or send their children to school. As a result, many poor children never learned to read, which limited their opportunities as adults.
Education also differed between boys and girls. Boys were generally the ones sent to school or given a tutor, while girls would stay home, and they would help their mother to do chores around the house. Girls learned how to run a household, prepare food, and make clothing, skills that Roman society expected of future wives and mothers, though some wealthy girls did receive an education at home.
What Games and Toys Did Roman Children Enjoy?
Despite their duties, Roman children still found plenty of time for fun. During the afternoon and sometimes in the evening, children would play games with each other and they would play with toys. Children had toys such as dolls, playhouses, pull toys, tops, balls and other toys and games that they could play. Many of these toys were homemade, and dolls could easily be made from cloth, wood, or clay.
Outdoor play was popular as well. Other fun that Ancient Roman children had were flying kites, rolling hoops, playing war games, riding hobbyhorses and making carts that they would race. Children also enjoyed hide-and-seek, ball games, and games similar to blind man’s bluff.
War games were especially common among boys. Warriors had special importance in Roman society, and it was the aim of every boy to imitate warriors and to become like one. For instance, boys would fight mock battles using wooden swords and shields, imagining themselves as soldiers in the Roman army.
How Did Rich and Poor Children Differ?
The lives of rich and poor children in Ancient Rome could be very different. Wealthy Roman children enjoyed better education facilities, better food, and better opportunities for entertainment. They also had more free time, since they were not needed to help their families earn a living.
Poor children, in contrast, often worked from a young age. Children of poor families would work on the farm or do whatever work their father did. As stated above, they usually received little or no schooling, which meant they had fewer choices when they grew up.
Diet was another clear difference between the classes. The diet of poor children of ancient Rome was less healthy and with less variety compared to that of the wealthy Roman children. While a rich child might eat bread, fruit, and meat, a poor child often survived on salted bread and simple porridge. To learn more about how jobs connected to social class, see the HistoryCrunch article on Work in Ancient Rome.
Significance of Children in Ancient Rome
Children in Ancient Rome were significant because they represented the continuation of the family, and the family was the foundation of Roman society. Sons were expected to carry on the family name, inherit property, and one day take on their own duties as citizens. In fact, in wealthy families, sons were prepared for education, military service, and eventually a political career that would bring honor to the family.
The way Romans raised their children also reveals the values that held their society together. Duty, obedience, loyalty, and respect for authority were taught from an early age, and these values shaped Roman culture for centuries. The strong authority of the father over his children mirrored the overall respect for hierarchy that ran through all of Roman life.
Finally, studying the lives of Roman children helps modern readers understand that daily life in Ancient Rome was not only about emperors and battles. It was also about ordinary families raising the next generation, much as families do today. In this way, the childhoods of Ancient Rome offer a window into the everyday world of one of history’s most influential civilizations.
Frequently Asked Questions
At What Age Did Roman Children Start School?
Roman children who attended school usually began their education around the age of seven. Before that age, young children were cared for at home, mostly by their mothers or by enslaved caretakers. Only children whose families could afford it moved on to a tutor or a small schoolhouse, and boys were far more likely to be sent than girls.
What Did Roman Children Eat?
Roman children ate meals that depended largely on how wealthy their family was. A typical breakfast might include bread, fruit, or a little meat for richer families, while poorer children often had only salted bread and porridge. Bread made from wheat was a staple food across all classes, and children usually ate lighter meals during the day with the main meal in the evening.
Why Did Roman Children Wear a Bulla?
Roman children wore a charm called a bulla because it was believed to protect them from evil and misfortune. Boys received the bulla soon after birth and wore it until they became adults, at which point they set it aside during a coming-of-age ceremony. The charm also signaled that a child was freeborn rather than enslaved.
Did Girls Have the Same Rights as Boys in Ancient Rome?
Girls did not have the same rights or opportunities as boys in Ancient Rome. While boys were often educated for public careers and military service, girls were usually raised at home to prepare for marriage and motherhood. Girls were also frequently engaged and married at a young age, and their fathers arranged these marriages, especially in wealthy families where marriage created political alliances.
How Long Did a Roman Boy Remain a Child?
A Roman boy was generally considered a child until his mid-teens, when he took part in a ceremony marking his entry into adulthood. During this ceremony he set aside his bulla and childhood clothing and put on a plain white toga worn by adult male citizens. From that point on, he was expected to take on the responsibilities of a Roman citizen, including possible military or political duties.
Cite This Article
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MLA: Millar, B. “Children in Ancient Rome: A Detailed Summary.” HistoryCrunch, 7 July 2026, https://historycrunch.com/children-in-ancient-rome/.
APA: Millar, B. (2026). Children in Ancient Rome: A Detailed Summary. HistoryCrunch. https://historycrunch.com/children-in-ancient-rome/
Chicago: Millar, B. “Children in Ancient Rome: A Detailed Summary.” HistoryCrunch. July 7, 2026. https://historycrunch.com/children-in-ancient-rome/
Sources
- Adrian Goldsworthy, How Rome Fell / Caesar (military and political).
- The Met (Heilbrunn Timeline) — Roman art
