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Chess was widely popular and often a source of gambling entertainment; both in the traditional format and in a simpler version played with dice. Dice were easy to carry and were played in all ranks of society, even among the clergy.

bowling,

blind man's bluf

more than enough money to meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

leisure time to spend on education and entertainment.

free education to every boy

using a bone or ivory stylus on wooden tablets coated with green or black wax

Knights were also educated and looked down upon if they could not read and write

Kids: At age seven, boys began to study to become knights. Girls did not go to school. They were taught by their mother how to manage the household and how to behave. 

Dining: Dinner was an elaborate affair for most nobles. Several dishes were served includes game, fish, vegetables, fruit, and deserts. Foods were sweetened with honey. Spoons and forks were not used. Instead, people used their fingers and knives.  If they had guests for dinner, they would hire entertainers - minstrels, magicians, jugglers - or perhaps one person would perform several feats. 

, “Make love not war,” and then -- down at the bottom -- “Screw it, just make money.”

A Florida woman wrote to tell me that, before reading it, she’d always been annoyed at the poor for what she saw as their self-inflicted obesity.

. I started with my own extended family, which includes plenty of people without jobs or health insurance, and moved on to trying to track down a couple of the people I had met while working on Nickel and Dimed

His table is set at one end of the great hall and he sits in a high-backed chair. His guests, the priest, two noblemen and his wife, sit on his table while less important people eat sitting on stools or benches at trestle tables lower down the hall. 

Above the lord's head, part of the shields bearing his coat of arms can be seen, while at the bottom right corner a flying knife and ball offer evidence that the lord is being entertained by a juggler

. The plates used by the Normans were made out of wood.

A wealthy Roman would buy a slave in a market place.

Once bought, a slave was a slave for life. A slave could only get their freedom if they were given it by their owner or if they bought their freedom.

THE CHAPELThe importance of religion in Medieval life is illustrated with the incorporation of a Chapel within the castle

THE GREAT HALL

The room in the castle called the Great Hall was intended for the main meeting and dining area and used by everyone who lived in the castle. The life of the castle revolved around this room. All of the meals were served in this room. Pages and servants waited on the tables. Servants ensured the Hall was cleaned, the fires were laid, the lighting was adequate. Entertainment was a major feature of Medieval castle life with music, dancing, masques, jugglers, acrobats, jesters, plays etc. Heralds, or Harkers, would present all visitors. The Steward supervised the events in the Great Hall. 

Mind Your Manors   In the days of decentralized government, a fief was like its own mini country that produced pretty much everything that was needed from food to weapons to tools. At the heart of a lord's fief was the manor-large estates. The manor was where the lord's family, servants, and his knights lived. At first they began as large houses, but over the years became full castles as walls, towers, and moats were added for protection. Manors were always in the country and surrounded by farmland and woods. Some of the wealthier lords even had more than one manor.   A manor was the center of the community. Not only did it serve as a place for peasants to run to in times of war, but was the political center as well. When he wasn't out fighting for his Lord, the lord of a fief would act as a judge in settling disputes. He also appointed officials who would collect taxes and rent from the peasants and townspeople. Large manors had their own churches complete with their own clergy, as well as a marketplace where locals could buy and sell goods. At any time one time, hundreds of people from priests, knights, squires, entertainers, merchants, peasants, and visiting nobles would head to the manor.   For the Lady of the manor her day was spent overseeing servants & caring for the children. When her husband was away (or killed in battle) the Lady of the manor assumed the same roles her husband did, appointing officials and acting as judge. In the early Middle Ages a woman owning property was not all that uncommon.

Living in a castle might sound romantic but it's not all that it was cracked up to be. Medieval manors were built of wood and stone and built on a large scale. Glass was rare and extremely expensive so windows often were either left open or covered with cloth during the winter. The only means of heating a manor was the fireplace. Each major room had its own. The Great Room, which as its name implies was the center of manor life.  The Great Room was heated and lit by an enormous fireplace, big enough to stand in. The Great Room was where all of the eating, drinking, debating, politicking, and merry making and other business was conducted. Speaking of doing business, how did medieval people use the bathroom? All manor houses had privies either outside or inside the castle. The ones inside were nothing more than a seat that emptied directly into the moat. ​ To modern observers manors would have been filthy places. Fleas were common and the smell of hundreds of unwashed people (who often only bathed once a week) would have pervaded. Rats and mice also would have been running around as food was thrown directly on the floor during meal times. At night the servants swept the floor and rushes (dried river reeds) would be spread on the floor and all minor visitors and knights would bed down. The manor was often dark, cold, and smoky. To liven things up a bit, tapestries would be commissioned to decorate the walls.

For about 500 years,  Rome was a Republic  For about 500 years, Rome was an Empire Quick Comparison: Ancient Greeks/Romans

Republic Government 

Roman Emperors