The Roman world formed the social and cultural backdrop to the emergence of the Christian movement, which has influenced so deeply the world we live in today. So what was it like for ordinary people? Where did they live? What work did they do? What did they do in their free time? How did they understand their place in the world, in relation to others and, very importantly, the gods? And, significantly, how was it that a rural Jewish renewal group became one of the fastest-growing urban movements through the first century and beyond?