What in the life of the Byzantines resembled the life of the ancient Romans?

The Byzantines considered themselves the heirs of the Roman Empire. Country villas of the Byzantines were an exact copy of Roman villas. Clothing, everyday life, occupations of the citizens of early Byzantium were an exact copy of the Roman ones. The cities were built according to the same plan as in the Roman Empire. There were aqueducts, gutters, forums. The very imperial power was the same as during the Roman Empire. The class of the richest people, senators, who had a certain political influence, remained. The life of the common people was just as hard in Byzantium as it was in the Roman Empire.