Disease in Ancient Rome

Roman society was separated into caste, with slaves and freed slaves at the bottom of the social hierarchy. The amount of slaves and free slaves compared to the other wealthier populations of Rome was 95% of the population, while rich and moderately wealthy Romans made up 5%. For these residents, living conditions were very poor. Their neighborhoods were squalid, dangerous, and cramped. Instead of single-family dwellings, the urban poor lived in high-rise apartment styled buildings which were, at best, equipped with communal latrines and water-fountains. It is estimated that in the early Empire apartment buildings in Rome outnumbered single-family dwellings by a ratio of 26:1. Because of overcrowding, poor sanitation, and generally poor nutrition, diseases were rampant among Rome’s urban masses whose life span was restricted.

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