Living Like a Roman
Like Duolingo, but for Living Like a Roman. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
Free during early access · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Living Like a Roman
- Lower-class apartments lacked private kitchens and ventilation
- Open fires in cramped wooden/brick insulae posed a massive fire risk
- Roman fast food focused on legumes, stews, and salted meats
- Street food was designed to be eaten quickly without formal seating
- Wealthy Romans hosted elaborate private dinners (convivium)
- The poor used thermopolia as their primary 'kitchen' and social hub
- Identifying typical Roman fast food menu items
- Connecting social class to dining habits
- Salt and sun are the primary agents for breaking down fish protein
- Pure salt was a costly luxury and often heavily taxed
- The clear liquid must be separated from the solid remains
- Garum provided both saltiness and a savory 'umami' flavor profile
- The production process of turning fish waste into a culinary staple
- The economic and culinary value of garum compared to salt
- Garum was a high-end delicacy with premium versions fetching high prices
- It was used as a universal condiment across all social classes
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Living Like a Roman the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Why was lighting a cooking fire inside a typical Roman apartment block (insula) so dangerous?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
Where Living Like a Roman takes you
Step into the sandals of an ancient Roman to see how they really lived, from their strange snacks to their high-tech inventions. Discover why the secrets of the Empire still shape the way we live in Italy today.
- 1
Surviving a Day in Ancient Rome
- The Weird World of Roman Fast Food
- Why Romans Loved Rotten Fish Sauce
- Fashion Tips for Toga Parties
- The Truth About Gladiator Games
- How to Use a Public Roman Toilet
- 2
Spotting Roman Genius Around You
- Roads That Last Two Thousand Years
- The Magic of Roman Concrete
- How Fountains Ran Without Electricity
- 3
How the Empire Became Italy
- Why Everyone Started Speaking Italian
- The Emperors Who Changed the Map
- How Rome's Ruins Became Modern Homes
- The Legend of the Wolf-Raised Twins
3 sections · 12 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Living Like a Roman is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Living Like a Roman today.
Download Tomo, search Living Like a Roman, and play your first lesson in under a minute.