Ancient Rome

A monarchy, a republic, and an empire.By: Emran Khan

5th Gradehttp://animoto.com/play/VbJo7854DeFgdBSmKhW21g

Ancient Rome was a vast empire that

stretched from Britannia (Great Britain) to Egypt. It was not always an empire. It began as a small village, thriving by the Tiber River. After becoming a monarchy, many Romans thought that the kings were unfair. The people overthrew the king and became a republic. But that didn’t work out either. After many civil wars, an emperor rose to power. Thus the Roman Empire began.

What Was Ancient Rome?

The Roman Empire stretched from

Britannia(Great Britain) to Egypt. Most of the Mediterranean Sea and the land surrounding it fell under Roman rule.

The climate was mildly hot in the city of Rome. It had warm winters, but the winters sometimes were harsh.

Geography/Climate

The Roman Government

What was Ancient Rome’s government ??

Ancient Rome wasn’t always a great city. It

started as an Etruscan village by the Tiber River. They were ruled by Etruscan kings and followed the Etruscan ways of life. According to legend, a legendary man named Romulus formed a city named Rome (named after himself) and made himself king. The Romans had no problems with kings until much later…

A small village…

A monarchy is a government ruled by a king.

The Roman Monarchy was ruled by several kings, but the last one, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, who killed his brother Servius Tullius for power, was so power hungry, the citizens of Rome decided to overthrow him and create a new type of government, a republic. Lasted = 753 BC – 509 BC

Roman Monarchy Government

The Roman Republic (a.k.a. S.P.Q.R. , or the Senatus

Populusque Romanus ) was ruled by a Senate, two consuls, a praetor, and plebians. The consuls had the most power, and then came the praetor. The Senate had the 3rd most power, and the plebians (regular people) barely had any power. This went pretty well until Julius Caesar came along. The consuls gave him a role of “dictator” to fend off invaders. Julius wanted power, so he took the offer. But soon the Senate thought that Caesar acted like a king. I mean, Julius gave free grain to the poor everyday. He was pretty nice. But in a meeting with the Senate, multiple Senators stabbed the poor guy to death! This started a civil war , which ended in The Battle of Actium.

Lasted= 509 BC – 27 BC

Roman Republic Government

This battle started after the death of Julius Caesar. His

nephew, Octavian Caesar and a man named Marc Antony shared power through the civil war against the Republic. To empower their relationship in power Marc Antony married Octavian’s sister. After Marc Antony traveled to Egypt, he fell in love with Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. Cleopatra convinced Antony not to conquer Egypt, but to help Egypt fend off Rome. Thus began the Battle of Actium. When Octavian heard of this news, he was outraged. The Egyptian forces, however, were no match for Rome. Rome soon won at sea after a naval battle. Marc and Cleopatra both commited suicide, and Octavian was raised as Emperor after the Senate was overthrown. Octavian then changed his name to Augustus Caesar, the First Emperor of Rome.

The Battle of Actium

The Roman Empire began after the Battle of Actium and,

Ancient Rome was at its highest point in history. This new age brought a great period of peace to Rome called the Pax Romana, which lasted for 207 years. Ancient Roman Empire stretched from southern Britannia(Great Britain) to northern Egypt. The Romans conquered most of the land around Mediterranean Sea. But as the empire conquered more and more land, the emperors became weak rulers over the vast lands. One emperor named Nero was said to have started the Great Fire of Rome. After a few decades the Sabines and other nomadic tribes took over the city of Rome. This officially ended the Roman Empire and ended Ancient Rome.

Lasted = 27 BC – AD 406

Roman Empire Government

Roman Culture

What was Ancient Roman culture like?

The Romans had a religion based on mythology

that had multiple gods that each had their own specialty of which they used to help run the universe. Many of these gods were originally from other cultures such as Greek and Etruscan.

Some of the Roman gods include: Jupiter(the god of storms – also the king of the gods), Neptune(the god of the sea), Pluto(the god of death), and Juno( the goddess of marriage – also queen of the gods).

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Roman religion

Many Romans enjoyed music and poetry. A special musical

instrument made by the Greeks is the lyre, which was sort of like a harp. Many poets used battles as an inspiration for poems. Many poems were epics, or long, poems based on great heroes or legends. A brutal game enjoyed by Romans was gladiator fighting. Gladiator fighting was basically watching a slave or prisoner fight each other or a wild animal. Another game Romans enjoyed was chariot racing , where 2 or more teams raced against each other in chariots.

Roman Arts

Roman Technology

What did the Ancient Romans build ?

When you think of Ancient Rome, you usually think of the

Colosseum, one of the many amazing structures built in Ancient Rome. Another example is the aqueducts, which were used to deliver and carry water. At that time period, all the main roads around the Mediterranean led to Rome. These roads were built with stones, gravel, and concrete. One last example is a Roman bathhouse. These were specially heated and made to fit the many needs of the Roman social network. You could bathe, work out, eat a snack, and much more.

Roman Architecture

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The Romans invented many useful things that

we still use today. An example is concrete, even though it was made a different method than it is made today. Another useful invention made by the Romans is a pilum, which is a special type of javelin that allows one hand to be free while in battle. One last example is the scorpion, a special type of catapult that was easy to transport and could launch flaming stone balls or arrows long distances.

Roman Inventions

Roman Needs

What did Romans wear and eat?

Most Roman men wore a toga, or robe, most of their lives. It

consisted of a long, white robe tied at the waist with a belt of leather or fur. Romans wore sandals that gave barely any protection to the toes. The soles of the sandals were very thick, offering protection to the soles of your feet. Some Romans did not wear sandals and walked on barefoot. Officials had a purple border of their togas to show off their position. Purple was meant for rich people, for it was hard to get murex, a substance in clams used to make purple dye at the time.

Clothing

Most Romans ate poultry(pork, beef, mutton, goat, and etc.),

wheats and cereals, seafood(fish, mussels, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.), legumes(lentils, soybeans, peas, vanilla, etc.) , fruits(apples, bananas, tomatoes, grapes, oranges, etc.), vegetables(radishes, potatoes, turnips, broccoli, carrots, etc.), and cheese.

Beverages are water, wine, honey, cow’s milk, and goat’s milk.

Food

Roman Daily Life

What did Ancient Romans do for a living?

My name is Cladius, a Roman slave working for a

storeowner. I have to work day and night to fulfill my masters’ needs. I was sold in an auction after I was taken as a prisoner from Britannia. I must endure harsh punishment from my master’s wife, while my master is kind to me and keeps his wife’s anger at bay. I must cook, take care of my master’s child and help clean the house. Sometimes my master helps me when there are no customers. My favorite part of the day is when my master lets me help him in his store. I may stay as a slave, but I hope the gods free me from the clutches of slavery.

Slave

Have you come to buy some wheat? My life has gone poorly

since that fool Brutucus opened his store near mine. He has much better quality things then my store does. I must raise the prices of my items because of the growing tax. My family can barely support itself . Brutucus wants to buy my store, and the governor is letting him! How will my family survive then? May the gods help me in this grave problem

Storeowner

What do you think you are doing in the streets at this hour,

child? You know that I must patrol the city for danger. Aye, I hope no one saw me talking to you children. What is that haunting in the corner? Sorry, but one must always be careful if you are a soldier. In battle, I am a scout, looking for weaknesses in enemy lines. I always have to be fully armed. Who knows what lurks around here. Good luck on your mission of Roman Daily Life. Now where is my gladius?

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Soldier

I always have to report to Emperor Marcus Tiberius every

month. I mean , I’m proud that I’m the governor of Britannia but report to Rome?? It takes me a week to get there and a week to come back. Now my problems are growing, since the Britannians are rebelling again. I have to buy more soldiers and more armor and weapons to supply the soldiers. If my problems weren’t bad enough already, the rebels are burning houses and crops down. Please excuse me while I speak with Emperor Marcus Tiberius.

Governor

Hello child . I am the Great Marcus Tiberius, Emperor of the Roman Empire. My life consists of war, law, and government. I am not very pleased with these rebellions across the empire. Many soldiers have been lost in battle. My own guard has died of these predicaments. The gods are angry for our actions. We must organize a sacrifice to Jupiter and Mars to help us. Now excuse me while I retrieve the priest.

Emperor

Credits

Why did the Roman Empire break into two? Who was the last emperor? What would have happened if Rome lost the Battle of Actium? How large was the Roman Army? When was the actual village of Rome founded? When did Romulus actually found the city of Rome? Who exactly were the Etruscans?

Unanswered Questions

http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/ http://www.qwiki.com http://www.history-world.org http://britannica.com

Bibliography