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Initially, as we said last time, when they first arrived, the Romans built loads of temples to their emperors and gods. After a while great amphitheatres had appeared. The Romans loved being entertained. Richard just said they would have hated Saturday nights on television now. I think he’s being sarcastic. Plays were performed and different costumes would show who an actor was playing; purple costume for a young man, red wig if playing a slave. Everyone could go to the theatre, rich and poor. There were also gladiator contests where slaves would fight each other until one was killed or defeated in which case the audience or an important person would signal, with thumbs up or thumbs down, if the loser should be killed. Chariot races were a particular favourite with betting on which charioteer would win. It was a bit like Formula 1 racing with each race usually over 7 laps on an oval course. Usually the chariots were of a standard design and charioteers who won many times became great heroes. Crashes were frequent and deaths among the charioteers happened often. Romans also had music. The favourite instrument was a lyre, a mini harp, or a set of pipes of different lengths to make different notes. Most Britons now followed the Roman way of dealing with death. They buried their dead well away from any settlement in dedicated cemeteries or the dead were cremated. It was not unusual to wait to bury your dead until a feast day, there were lots of these, and a procession would take place from the temple to outside the walls of the city or town.
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