The most popular amusement was watching the gladiatorial combats in the Colosseum.
Many of the wealthy had water brought to their homes through lead pipes. Lead gave them lead poisoning.
Those who lived on the streets were in continuous contact with disease.
Alcohol use increased, leading to a less productive and motivated public.
Romans had no effective system to determine how new emperors would be selected.
In 186 A. D. the army killed the new emperor, the practice began of selling the throne to the highest bidder.
From about 186 -286, Rome had 37 different emperors - 25 of whom were assassinated.
Farming was done on large estates called latifundia that were owned by wealthy men who used slave labor.
Emperors like Caligula and Nero became infamous for wasting money on lavish parties where guests drank and ate until they became sick.
Many farmers could not compete with these low prices and lost or sold their farms.
Cities filled with unemployed people.
unemployed people were not only a burden but also had little to do but cause trouble and contribute to an increasing crime rate.
Much gold was being spent by the wealthy Romans to pay for luxury items. This meant that there was less gold to use in coins.
The death rate of the wealthy was very high.
Less gold in the coins made them less valuable.
The cost of goods began to increase very quickly.
People began to barter (trade goods/services for other goods/services) instead of using coins.
Salaries had to be paid in food and clothing, and taxes were often collected in fruits and vegetables.
Wealthy Romans lived in large houses, with marble walls, floors with intricate colored tiles, and windows made of small panes of glass.
Most Romans lived in small smelly rooms in apartment houses with six or more stories. These were hot, dirty, crowded, and dangerous.
Anyone who could not pay rent was forced to move out and live on the crime-infested streets.
They failed to invent new machines or find new technology to produce goods more efficiently. They could not provide enough goods for their growing population.
They were no longer conquering other civilizations and adapting their technology.
Defending the border of the Empire from barbarian attacks was a constant cost for the government.
Military spending left few resources for other vital activities, such as providing public housing and maintaining quality roads and aqueducts.
The empire had to begin hiring soldiers recruited from the unemployed city mobs or worse from foreign countries.
Soldiers we not always Roman and they were more and more unhappy and unreliable, not to mention, expensive.
The emperors were forced to raise taxes to pay the increasing military costs, which in turn led again to increased inflation (goods and services costing more).
