Ancient Rome is often depicted as a glamorous empire of power, sophistication and wealth. Yet for most people, the reality of daily life was precarious. Host Robin Wigglesworth talks to Kim Bowes, author of *Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the 90%*, about how ordinary Romans combined grit with surprising financial sophistication to weather a system stacked against them.

They uncover a hidden financial world in which women often ran household finances, families delivered children into debt bondage, and shepherds might sell wool futures on rented sheep. This far‑cared from the Rome of popular imagination, revealing how the majority of Romans experienced the empire.

The podcast also invites listeners to further explore through books, festivals, and online content, offering 10% off with code FTPodcast at ft.com/festival. It encourages subscriptions on podcast platforms and YouTube to keep engaging with the story of money.

Overall, the episode shines a light on the everyday economic strategies of Romans, showing that even in a vast empire, ordinary people navigated complex financial landscapes with resilience and ingenuity.