Roman
Rus in urbe ‘The countryside in the city’
countryside in city
This is from the Roman poet Martial (c 40 to c 104 AD), known for witty and entertaining epigrams about contemporary society. He is describing the large gardens of rich people in Rome, which were starting to emerge at that time. He is actually bemoaning the fact that he, Martial, doesn’t have a garden and has to go to the country to find peace and quiet. The quote is from: Book 12, poem 57.
Of course, gardens are common nowadays, and also large parks in towns and cities, so the line could be applied to our own society: we seek to create some countryside in the city. Etymology The Latin word ‘rus’ led to the English words ‘rural’ and ‘rustic’
The Latin word ‘urbs’ led to the English word ‘urban’. Background Attitudes to the country By the 1st century AD, Rome had become a large, crowded, busy city of 1 million, so it would have been very pleasant for some residents to have gardens to spend time in. Cities of such as scale were rare in the ancient world and people were used to living in smaller towns or on farms with more access to the countryside. Many inhabitants of Rome were probably former country-dwellers who had moved to the city to find work. Attitudes to wealth Rome had built up its empire over hundreds of years with ethics of hard work and an austere lifestyle. But by the 1st century BC, a lot of wealth had accumulated among the Romans and some individuals were becoming wealthy, though simplicity was still admired eg the emperor Augustus lived in a modest house on the Palatine Hill near the city centre. By the 1st century AD, more and more began to live opulent lifestyles, with large houses and expensive clothes. This was quite a challenge to the previously ethic of austerity, and controversial. Historians have observed that the evolution of Romans’ attitudes to wealth and comforts beyond what was necessary (called ‘luxuria’ in Latin) was an important strand in the development of their culture.
Reading Wiki on Martial: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial If you enjoyed the above, you’ll probably also like Juvenal, who wrote longer satires about contemporary Roman life and society. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenal On life in Rome, a very good overview is ‘Daily Life in Ancient Rome’ by Jerome Carcopino.
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