382 History
FIND OUT MORE. Age of Migrations 384 • Byzantine Empire 385
Ancient Rome
Rome began, around 800 BCE, as a settlement of farmers
and shepherds in central Italy. Over the course of the
next thousand years, it developed into a powerful city-state,
and became the capital of an empire that stretched from
Britain in the north to Arabia in the southeast.
HOW DID ROME EXPAND?
Gradually, the Roman Republic conquered its
neighbours until, by 260 BCE, it controlled all of Italy.
Next, the Romans defeated the Carthaginians, which by
146 BCE gave Rome control of the Mediterranean. At
the heart of the government of this expanding Roman
Republic were the politicians called. SENATORS.COLOSSEUM RUINS 2
Opened by Emperor Titus in
80 CE, the Colosseum was the
largest amphitheatre in Rome.
For the blood-thirsty “games”
staged here, gladiators and
animals were imported from
every corner of the empire.WHAT WAS THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT ROME?
Jupiter, Minerva, Vesta, and Mars were among the
chief gods and goddesses of ancient Rome. On special
occasions animals were sacrificed to them in temples.
Before going into battle, for example, a public sacrifice
would be made to Mars, the god of war. Throughout
the empire a wide range of non-Roman religions were
tolerated, so long as they did not disrespect official
Roman gods and the. EMPERORS.1 ROMAN WOMEN
The grand ladies depicted in this Pompeii wall painting are having their
hair dressed by skilled slaves. First and foremost, Roman women were
expected to be mothers, but rich widows had some freedom.HOW WERE ROMAN SOLDIERS RECRUITED?
In the early days of Rome every citizen had to be
prepared to fight, but soldiers of the Roman
imperial army were paid, highly trained
professionals who signed on for 20-25
years of service. The ordinary foot-
soldier was equipped with a short
sword, two javelins, and a heavy
shield of leather and wood.
When he wasn’t at war, he was
building forts and roads.WHY WAS JULIUS CAESAR MURDERED?
In 44 BCE, five years after he had become the sole
ruler of Rome, Julius Caesar was murdered in the
Senate building. His assassins were a group of
senators who thought he had become too
powerful. They also resented the fact that Julius
Caesar had rewarded hundreds of his supporters
by making them senators. As a result, the Senate,
which for most of its history had between 300 and
600 members, was packed with 900 senators.MORTAL COMBAT 3
In this Roman mosaic, made
around 300 CE, a gladiator tackles
a leopard. Gladiators were mostly
slaves or criminals who had been
trained in special schools.4 BRONZE COIN FEATURING JULIUS CAESAR
The profile on this coin is evidence of Julius Caesar’s haughty
style. He was much too king-like for the proud Roman senators.The Roman Republic was ruled by the Senate, the
council of noblemen that controlled all the top jobs in
the government and army. After 27 BCE, when the
Roman Republic was replaced by the Roman Empire, the
Senate continued to play an important part in politics.SENATORS
Ancient
Rome