HISTORY

YEAR 4
ANCIENT ROME
The city of Rome was the capital city of the civilization of
Ancient Rome.
It was located near the west coast of central Italy.
Today, Rome is the capital of the country of Italy.
The city started out small, but grew to become an empire.
The city was the center of power in the world for over 1000
years.
Roman mythology says that Rome was founded in 753 BC by
the twins Romulus and Remus. While building the settlement on
Palatine Hill, Romulus killed Remus and became the first king of
Rome.

Roman kingdom
The civilization in Ancient Rome began in about 500 BCE.
The Romans were ruled by kings from the Etruscan tribe
who lived in lands nearby.

In 509 BCE, the Romans rebelled against these kings

because they were very cruel or wicked.

Rome became a republic after their king died. Instead of

having one ruler, the people started to elect their leaders.

Later, it became an empire after taking over several

territories.

Roman Rule Transitions

Kingdom (rule by kings) Republic (rule by government) Empire (rule by emperor)

Who were the people in Rome?

There were three categories of people who lived in ancient Rome.
 Patricians: These were the nobles in society. They came from wealthy families. They
owned land and properties.
  Plebeians: These were the common people in society. They were sometimes called the
'plebs'. They were usually farmers or traders.
 Slave: Slaves were also part of Roman society. They could not be citizens and had no
power. They were usually assigned task or jobs to do in the society such as being a
maid.
It is important to know that, men and women who were not slaves in the Roman Republic were
Citizens.
The citizens of Rome were called the Romans.

Slave Patrician Plebeians

How was the Roman Republic governed?

The Roman republic was governed by a group of people called Government.
These group of people made the rules for a city or country.
The government of the Roman Republic had three main parts:
 Magistrates and consuls
Magistrates were leaders elected by the people. Every year, two of the
magistrates were elected to become consuls. The two consuls were in
charge of Rome for one year. One consul led the government. The
other consul was responsible for the army.

 Senators
The senators formed a group called the Senate. Senators advised the
consuls and approved or rejected laws. Senators decided how to
spend public money and advised on Rome's relationships with other
countries.

 Tribunes and assemblies

The tribunes were a group of citizens who represented the common
people of Rome (the plebeians) within the government.
The assemblies were made up of plebeians. The assemblies elected
officials, such as the tribunes, and voted on laws.
The Roman Empire begins
Some individuals in the Roman Republic wanted
more power for themselves. By 290 BCE, the
Romans controlled the whole Italian Peninsula.
Expansion into Sicily brought the Romans into
conflict with the Carthaginian Empire.
In 146 BCE, after 100 years of competition and
three long wars, the Romans beat the
Carthaginians. They took control of lands and trade
around the Mediterranean. The Carthaginians
competed with the Romans for trade across the
Mediterranean. Trade was important because it
provided resources and wealth.

Roman Empire began

Rome was very powerful because of its strong army.
The army generals sometimes fought with the Senate.
Julius Caesar was a powerful Roman general. He took control
of Rome in 49 BCE. Some senators did not want a king-like
ruler and so they killed him in 44 BCE. Julius Caesar's grand-
nephew Octavian later seized power for himself and his name
became Caesar Augustus.
Augustus ended the Roman Republic and founded the Roman
Empire in 27 BCE.
Octavian was the first Roman Emperor and took the name Caesar Augustus. He ruled until his
death in 14 CE.
Augustus established a period known as the Pax Romana (which means Roman Peace) that lasted for
200 years. He also established a dynasty of rulers. The four emperors who came after him were
Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero.

Why did the Romans expand their empire?

The shaded area shows the Roman Empire in 117 CE.
1. Roman emperors wanted to show their power.
2. The Romans also wanted the valuable resources from
the lands they conquered.
3. People in conquered lands had to pay taxes to
Rome. This money helped to pay for the Roman army and
for managing the empire.
How far did Roman territories reach?
The Roman Empire was at its largest in 117 CE. The estimated population of the Roman Empire at that
time was at least 60 million. This number was about one quarter of the world population at the time.
The size of the empire meant that Roman culture had a huge influence across the world. The Roman
Empire lasted until 476 CE.

Ancient Roman cities and towns

Cities were centers of activity in Ancient Rome.
Poorer people lived in two-roomed apartments in blocks called insulae. Each apartment block housed
between 30 and 50 people. Insulae were built of mud bricks and timber.
It had shops at street level.
Wealthier people lived in private homes.
These houses had rooms arranged around an open area called an atrium.

Insulae Atrium

Roman Roads
Many major Roman roads led into the city of Rome. The Latin name for road was Via.
The major roads leading into Rome included the Via Appia, the Via Aurelia, the Via Cassia, and the Via
Salaria. Inside the city itself there were also many paved streets. Roads allowed goods and services to
be transported between towns and cities. Roads also made it easier to move soldiers and supplies as
the empire expanded. Road were built with concrete, which was a Roman invention. Mixing lime and
volcanic sand made a strong, durable material that dried solid and which was capable of supporting a
great deal of weight. Roads were slightly humped in the middle so that rain would flow down to the
sides of the roads, preventing flooding.
Water In Rome
To bring clean water to towns for drinking and washing, Roman
engineers developed the aqueduct.
Aqueducts carried water to a town from a water source that could be
many kilometers away.
Aqueducts passed through tunnels under hills and over aqueduct
bridges across valleys.
Water went through pipes to different parts of the town or city.
Water was available in public fountains and was supplied to some
private homes. The water also carried away waste in sewers.
The Aqua Appia was the first Roma aqueduct. It was built in 312 BCE and covered a distance of 16.4
kilometers from its source to the city of Rome.

Work in Roman towns and cities

Roman towns and cities offered work for many people.
Many rich people worked in government.
Skilled and educated men worked as lawyers, teachers and engineers.
Many people worked as craftspeople making household goods and luxury items for the rich.
Towns and cities were full of markets for buying and selling goods hence traders.
Slaves worked as household servants or as building labourers.

Entertainment In Rome

Large cities in ancient Rome had a lot of places for public entertainment.
 There was a circus for chariot racing. Chariot racing was very popular. The Circus
Maximus in Rome could hold over 150 000 people.
 An Amphitheatre was used for gladiator games.
 here was a theatre. Romans liked to watch comedies.
 There were public baths, so people who did not have a bathroom at home could
keep clean. People also went to the baths to meet friends.

Family life in Rome

Family life was an important part of life for Ancient Romans. The amount of money that a family had
affected many things, from education to clothes and food.
The man was the head of the Roman family. Women managed the household, did chores and raised
their children. Wealthy women had slaves to help them do these tasks and so they had more leisure
time.
Education In Rome
Rich children went to school. Education was mostly for boys, but some
girls from wealthy families did go to school.
At school, children learned reading, writing, mathematics, literature and
effective speaking.
Many girls married when they were young teenagers.
Children of poorer families did not attend school. They had to help the
adults in the family with work and daily chores.

Food in Ancient Rome

Most people ate simple foods such as porridge, beans, bread,

vegetables, fish and fruit.
Wealthy Romans sometimes invited friends to share food and to
enjoy entertainment, for example provided by musicians. Evening
banquets often lasted several hours.
Richer people had more variety in their diet and more meat. Their
food was often flavored with exotic spices such as pepper, cloves
and nutmeg.
Food varied across the Roman Empire depending on what was
available locally.

Art in Rome
The Romans produced art and buildings across the whole of their huge empire.
Roman authors produced writings that have been read for thousands of years.
Roman art included paintings, mosaics and images on pottery. The art often showed scenes from
everyday life. Some images were records of important events.
Another popular form of art in Roman times was relief carving. Reliefs are images carved into stone.
They are found on buildings and special objects such as a sarcophagus.
The Romans liked sculptures in the Greek style. There were sculptures in homes, places of work, public
spaces and public buildings.

Mosaic
Roman architecture
Roman architects used ideas from Ancient Greece, including columns to support large roofs. The
Romans developed the arch and also the dome. Arches allowed the Romans to build huge structures
including amphitheaters and aqueduct bridges. Roman architecture has inspired architects around the
world. Many architects use Roman features in their buildings.

Literature
The Romans wrote in a language called Latin. Important pieces of Roman literature include poems,
speeches, histories and works of philosophy.
People continued to use Latin for important documents for centuries after Ancient Roman times.
Languages such as English, French and Italian were all influenced by Latin.
 Keywords

Citizen Sewers

Elect Chariots

Founded Estate

Patricians Exotic

Peninsula Villa

Plebeians Arch

Senate Dome

Culture Sewers

Aqueduct Chariots

Gladiators Estate

Philosophy Dynasty

Sculpture Mosaic