Wealthy "Hobbit" Characters

All the characters in "The Hobbit" have different opinions of the greatness of wealth.  Gandalf doesn't think high on the matter, but if he deserves it and he doesn't get any, then he'll mention it.  Bilbo probably wouldn't go on an epic adventure for wealth, would he?  Bilbo would probably like to stay in his hobbit hole and eat toast, butter, eggs,  and bacon with his tea just boiling!  Thorin Oakansheild doesn't care about wealth, he just wants it for his people.  The Wood Elf Kingdom wants more money because the king wants more money.  Smaug loves wealth.  Smaug will go WAY out of his way to get treasure.  He's really not that smart because he can't even buy anything at all.  He doesn't even have to pay on his morgage!  They realy all have different opinions about money!

Ancient Roman Mealtime

Rich hosts would display their wealth by having expensive meals.  Some dining rooms had mosaics showing scraps of food. Sometimes the host would present entertainment.  They would have musicians, acrobats, dancers, jugglers, conjurers, and poets for entertainment.  For dessert, Romans ate stuffed dates. Dinner had three courses.  Slaves would wipe the guests' hands between courses.
Poor Romans didn't even have a kitchen because they lived in the top floors of apartments.  They can't have a woodburning stove because the apartment is also made out of wood.  They would visit a tavern like you would a restaurant!

Ancient Roman Structures

Some Roman structures are even better than the ones we have today. 

Roman roads are beautiful!  Romans were the first people to use concrete.  They realized that mixing volcanic ash, water, and lime gets you concrete after it dries.  The Appian Way is a speical road that connects Rome and cities in Italy.

Rome didn't just build roads.  They made aqueducts that would help make water travel to a city or cities.  Romans also built apartments that weren't fit for living by today's standards because they could collapse any second!  Their apartments were made of concrete and wood.  Some of the larger buildings are still standing today.