What Did the Ancient Roman Emperors Do For Fun?

They used everything in their power to do WHATEVER they wanted.

Sal
Lessons from History
5 min readJun 6, 2022

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“Ancient Rome, Giovanni Paolo Panini (Italian, Piacenza 1691–1765 Rome).jpg” by leoncillo sabino is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Roman Empire is the longest-lasting Empire in history, spanning nearly two millennia. Its contributions to culture, art, language, and science are immense. Furthermore, we can still see traces of its influence today, such as in numerous legal terms that find their origins in ancient Rome.

When thinking of such a magnificent and resilient empire, one wonders about the life of an old Roman. In today’s article, we’ll go over what the life of a Roman Emperor looked like and what they might have done in their spare time.

These hobbies may not equally apply to all Roman Emperors, as the Roman Empire spanned a considerable time. What was true for a 20 BCE Emperor may not be for one in 800 CE. Let’s go over some of the recreational activities Emperors may have engaged in.

1. A Night in the Theater

Some of the recreation enjoyed by the Emperors was also equally appreciated by the general populace. One such example is theatre and the performance arts. The Roman elites even had a favorite genre: satire. This allegorical depiction highlighted the dangers of excess and was ironically enjoyed by those to whom it applied the most.

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Sal
Lessons from History

I am a History Educator and a Lifelong Learner with a Masters in Global History.