Ancient Rome

• Two thousand years ago, Rome was the most important city in Europe. It was the head of a great empire which covered most of Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
• How we know about Ancient Rome


  From written sources and artefacts
• Roman writers


  • Wrote poems, letters, plays, histories in Latin
• Archaeologists


  • Excavated Roman sites and studied the artefacts they found, including buildings, statues, pictures and inscriptions
• The greatest collection of Roman artefacts

  • Comes from the ancient city of Pompeii, which was covered in lava when a volcano, Mount Vesuvius, erupted in 79 AD and lay undisturbed for 1500 years
• Roman government


  At first Rome had kings, but later they replaced them with the Roman republic, where Roman citizens elected their government, but only free men could vote
• The Roman Republic conquered the rest of Italy and some neighboring countries, which made the army powerful
• Caesar Augustus


  A successful general who took over the government and made himself emperor, after which Rome was ruled by emperors
• Most Romans lived in rural areas, working as farmers or herders, while a smaller number lived in urban areas, which were the centers of trade, administration and culture
• In rural areas, Romans hunted wild boar and other animals, and also worked as farmers and herders
• Slaves did most of the work in Rome. They worked in the houses and shops, in farms and mines. They fought as gladiators or raced horses in the circus
• Educated slaves taught patrician children, ran schools or acted as doctors
• Slaves who lived with families were often well treated, but slaves working on farms or mines were treated badly
• Some slaves rebelled. The most famous slave was SPARTACUS
• If a master was fond of his slave, he might set him free. An ex-slave was called a freedman. Some freedmen became wealthy business owners, but they were not allowed to be Roman citizens
• Roman villa


  • Large houses called villas or domus
  • Surrounded by gardens where slaves grew food and vegetables
  • Entrance was an open area called an atrium where the owner received guests
  • Bedrooms opened off the atrium
  • Dining room was the most lavish room
  • Heated by an underground furnace called a hypocaust
  • At the rear was the kitchen or culina
• Patrician families lived in large houses called villas or domus
• Plebeians bought most of their food from the shops in the street and washed in the public baths
• Roman Forum


  • Most important place in Rome, a market place lined with fine buildings and shops
  • Senate building where the government met
  • Rostra platform where politicians made speeches
  • Temples to Roman gods
• When the Roman general won a victory, he was allowed to march along the Via Sacra (Sacred Way) through the Forum, followed by his army and defeated enemies
• Romans often wrote prayers on clay tablets and left them in the temples
• Most Romans believed in life after death. Some believed the spirit went to the Underworld, and had to be rowed across the River Styx by the ghostly ferryman Charon
• Many bodies were buried in the catacombs, underground cemeteries outside Rome's walls
• Christianity


  • Belief in one god only, refused to believe in state gods
  • Christians were persecuted by the Romans
• Christian burial customs

  • Christians were always buried and not cremated
  • Bodies were buried in holes dug out of the side walls of the catacombs
  • Large stone covered the grave
• Eventually, Emperor Constantine was converted to Christianity, and Christianity became the state religion at the end of the 4th century AD
• Roman baths


  • Every Roman city had public baths
  • Huge aqueducts carried water from the mountains to supply the baths
  • Baths had separate sections for men and women
  • Slaves provided services like oiling and scraping the customers
• Circus Maximus and Colosseum

  • Chariot races were held in the Circus Maximus
  • Gladiators fought in the Colosseum, a huge stadium that held 45,000 people
  • Gladiators were often slaves who had to fight each other or wild animals
• The power of Rome was mainly due to the victories of its armies
• Roman army


  • Legions of about 5,000 soldiers divided into centuries of 100 men
  • Soldiers had to be able to march 20 miles a day carrying heavy equipment
  • Soldiers were based in permanent camps or forts along the borders of the Empire
  • Discipline was very strict, with flogging and execution for disobedience
• Causes of the decline of the Roman Empire


  • Civil wars
  • Increased taxes and prices
  • Increased cost of the Roman army
  • Attacks from barbarian tribes
• Many modern cities and towns owe their origins to Roman builders and planners
• Our calendar and the names of the months are based on the Roman calendar
• Many of our buildings are modelled on Roman buildings with classical style architecture
• Our system of laws is based on Roman law
• Modern continental languages like French and Italian are descended from Rome's languages
• Many English words are derived from Latin, including villa, circus, republic and senate
• Culina


  The kitchen or cooking area of a Roman villa
• Peristyle


  A type of architectural feature in ancient Roman architecture, a columned portico surrounding a central courtyard