N.B:Lucius and Publia are Roman citizens circa 79 A.D.
The day began early for Lucius and the members of his household. He would usually get at dawn, but his slaves were up much earlier, sweeping and dusting and polishing. Lucius did not spend much time dressing himself. The first garment he would put on was his tunic, similar to a short-sleeved shirt, then his toga, which was a large, woolen cloak arranged in complicated folds, and finally his shoes, which were rather like modern sandals. A quick wash of the hands and face with cold water was enough at that time of the morning; later he would visit a tonsor to be shaved; and in the afternoon he would take a long, leisurely bath.
His wife, Publia, also got up early. With the help of a skilled ancilla, she did her hair in the latest style, put on her make-up, including powder, rouge, and mascara, and arranged her jewelry, of which she had a large and varied collection.
Breakfast was only a light snack usually no more than a cup of water and a piece of bread. The first duty of the day for Lucius was to receive the respectful greetings of a number of poorer people and liberti who had previously been his slaves. To these visitors he distributed small sums of money, and, if they were in any kind of trouble, he gave them as much help and protection as he could. In return, they helped Lucius in several ways; for example, they accompanied him as a group of supporters on public occasions, and they mightalso be employed by him in business affairs. They were known as his clientes and he was their patronus. When Lucius had finished seeing his clientes, he set out for the forum, or business center, where he spent the rest of the morning trading and banking as he was an argentarius.
Lunch was eaten at noon and this was also a light meal. It usually consisted of some meat or fish followed by fruit. Business ended soon after lunch due to the hot weather. Lucius would then have a short siesta before going to the baths. Toward the end of the afternoon, the main meal of the day, the cena, began.
During the winter, Lucius used the inner dining-room near the atrium; but in the summer he would generally have preferred the dining-room at the back of the house which faced out toward the garden. Three couches were arranged around a circular table. this dining-table, though small, was very elegantly carved and decorated. Each couch had places for three people. The diners reclined on these couches, leaning on their left elbow and taking food from the table with their right hand. Their food was cut up by a slave before being served, and the diners ate in with their fingers or a spoon, but not a fork as the Romans did not use such a "barbarian instrument". Not all Romans reclined while eating dinner, but it was usual among rich or upper-class families; poor people, slaves, and children would eat sitting up.
The meal began with a first course of light dishes to whet the appetite. Eggs and fish were often served. Then came the main course, in which a variety of meat dishes would be offered. Beef, pork, mutton, and poultry were all popular, and in preparing them, the coquus would do his best to show off his skill and imagination. Finally, dessert was brought in, consisting of fruit and cheese. Wine, produced locally or imported, was drunk throughout the course of the meal. There was no hurry, for this was the big social occasion of the day. With much talk and laughter, with music and singing, the exchange of gossip and drinking of toasts, dinner sometimes went on until late in the evening.
