Ancient Rome

Romulus and Remus 

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Romulus and Remus were legendary twin brothers. Of Roman mythology they were the son of Mars, the God of war. Legend says they were found by a female wolf and later raised by a Shepard. Romulus eventually killed Remus.

Tiber River  In

753 B.C., the city of Rome was founded along the banks of the Tiber River.

The Beginning 

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In about 600 BCE, the Etruscans from the North invaded Rome and took control

In 509 BCE they overthrew the Etruscans and formed the Roman Republic

The Republic 

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A republic is a type of government in which the citizens are allowed to vote for their leaders The United States is also a republic

The people  Patricians

were upper class citizens who controlled the senate in Rome.  All other citizens of Rome were considered to be a plebeian.  Slaves and people born somewhere else were not Roman Citizens

Punic Wars 

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These were three wars, which began in 264 B.C.E consisted of the Romans fighting against the empire of Carthage, a city in Northern Africa. The Romans despised the Carthaginians and eventually totally destroyed the city and plowed up the land with salt.

End of the Republic 

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In 49 BCE Julius Caesar became the leader of the Roman Republic. The senate believed that he was too powerful and might try to destroy the republic. In 44 BCE they assassinated him which brought about the end of the Roman Republic

Roman Empire 

The Roman Empire once included what is now Spain, France, England, Egypt, Turkey and even parts of Russia.

Mediterranean Sea At one time, the entire shoreline of this large body of water was part of the Roman Empire.  Today Spain, France, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt and Morocco are among the nations that have shoreline on the Mediterranean Sea. 

Pax Romana The Golden Age of Peace lasted 200 years. It began with the first emperor’s reign (Augustus) in 30 B.C.E  The Pax Romana (means Roman Peace) was an age of achievement. 

The split 

In 285 AD, the emperor Diocletian divided the Roman empire into two parts: the Western Empire and Eastern Empire

United, or not… 

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In 324 AD, Constantine attempted to reunite the Roman Empire. Instead of keeping the capital of Rome, he made the capital Constantinople which was located in the Eastern Empire Though technically united, the western and eastern empires developed very different cultures

Fall of an Empire In 476 A.D. the Roman Empire (Western Empire) fell to the Germanic leader Odoacer, who forced the Roman emperor from the throne.  The Eastern Empire excited for another thousand years but became known as the Byzantine Empire. 

Architecture 

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Arches and concrete were two improvements the Romans contributed to this science. Arches eliminated the need for columns to hold up a building’s roof.

Aqueducts 

Were built by the Romans to bring a constant flow of water from distant sources into cities and towns, supplying public baths, latrines (public toilets), fountains and private households

The Coliseum 

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This arena located in Rome, held an audience of 50,000 and was the greatest amphitheater in the empire. The floor was made of concrete covered with sand. Below was a maze of cells and passageways.

Hadrian’s Wall Was built to keep enemies out.  It was 75 miles long and was patrolled by (soldiers) from forts that were built every few miles. 

Appian Way 

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First and most famous military highway built by the ancient Romans. 132 miles long

Romans built over 50,000 miles of roads the crisscrossed the empire. They were built for the movement of troops, but also trade and communication.

Roman Numerals These symbols for numbers were invented by the Romans around 500 B.C. at the time the empire began to expand.  In the late 1500’s, Arabic numerals replaced Roman numerals. 

Latin Latin was the language of Ancient Rome. People still use words from this language today.  E Pluribus Unum (Latin for “Out of many One”) Can be found on coins today 

Gladiators 

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Were well trained killers who fought each other or animals to death, all for the amusement of an audience. Most gladiators were slaves or criminals who were trained in special schools. A gladiator could be freed if he was brave or lucky.