Romans woke up early and usually worked a six hour day. Free men and freedman were usually out on their business the whole morning, contributing to the bustle of the urban activity. The import business was centered in Ostia. The biulding industry was the reason for the continual supply of skilled labor. This took teh form of architects, surveyors, supervisors, foremen, sculpters, stonemasons, carpenters, and brickworks' managers.
In the cities and towns, retail and wholesale shops operated, craftsmen plied their trades, and little shops, taverns, and inns did their own business. They, in turn, were supplied with raw materials and foodstuffs from the agricultural activity on estates. Sons tended to follow their father's trade, and the only respectable jobs in the upper class involved law and politics. Other fields involved the work of freedmen, so were lower. These included architecture, medicine, surgery, dentistry, teachingm and agricultural management. This left a sizeable group of educated (if not always aristocratic) people unemployed.
After the daily work routine, a visit to the public baths was usual, for men and as well as women.
(for more on baths, see Roman Baths post)
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