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When the Romans came to Britain they brought their way of life with them. Over time, the people of Britain and the Romans mixed. The Britons began to live the Roman lifestyle and the Romans took on local customs.

The Romans built new towns. These were often protected by walls and there was everything a citizen of Roman Britain would need inside - houses, shops, meeting spaces, workshops, temples and bathhouses.

They also built grand country houses called ' '. These had many rooms, some with beautifully painted walls, mosaic floors and even central heating.

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When the Romans came to Britain they brought their way of life with them. Over time, the people of Britain and the Romans mixed. The Britons began to live the Roman lifestyle and the Romans took on local customs. The Romans built new towns.

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Anyone could apply to become a Roman citizen . Not everyone who applied was accepted, but many were. Would you have wanted to apply? You might have. Something was always going on. There were plays in open air theaters. There were festivals, both religious festivals and festivals put on by rich Romans. There were chariot races and gladiatorial contests. There were sports contests. And they were all free. Romans were also very social. They visited friends, relatives and neighbors. They met in the baths. They might hold a dinner party for friends and important people. If you were rich, you might stay up all night at a party, lit by oil lamps. The poor couldn't afford the oil for the lamps so they usually went to bed when it got dark.

. Roads were built in straight lines, or as straight as possible. Many had gutters. Along the side of the road, the Romans built road signs called milestones. Milestones did not give any information about other towns in the area. Milestones told how far it was back to Rome. Occasionally, milestones also listed who built that section of road and how much it cost! Each time a new city was conquered, a road was built from that city back to Rome Roman roads were built so well that some are still in use today. That's one reason historians call the ancient Romans the Great Builders. People walked or rode horseback or took their chariots out on the roads. Bandits were known to attack travelers, so people had to be careful. But still - the Roman roads made travel much easier. There were guard outposts and patrols to help keep people safe.

As Rome expanded, the Romans came in contact with people who worshiped other gods. If those people had fought extremely well, the Romans figured that their gods must be pretty good, so the Romans adopted those gods, gave them Roman names, and pretended they were Roman gods all along.

The Romans adopted nearly all the ancient Greek gods. They gave them Roman names, and changed their personalities and myths to better fit the Roman way of life. The ancient Romans were very different from the ancient Greeks. The ancient Romans were down-to-earth realists, not idealists. You can see this in their statues. The Greeks made statues of perfect people. The Romans created real life statues. A statue of one of the Roman emperors is a good example. His nose is huge! The ancient Greeks would never have done that. The ancient Greeks had roads, but they were not built nearly as well, and their roads did not connect in any particular order. Connect to what? Each Greek city-state was its own unit. In ancient Rome, Rome was the heart of the empire!

Unlike most ancient civilizations, many Romans could read and write. The Romans honored and encouraged literacy. We know a great deal about them thanks to the inscriptions they left behind. An inscription is usually a note created by hand that has been written, carved, or chiseled on an object. Quite frequently, the Romans stamped the name of the brick maker onto the bricks they used. They even had a law that said the makers of lead pipes that delivered water to buildings had to be stamped with the makers name. Pottery makers signed their work. Soldiers wrote letters home. Archeologists have found hundreds of thousands of Roman inscriptions and more are being found every year. All this information from people in all walks of ancient Roman life provides a wonderful window to the past. The more inscriptions archaeologists find, the easier it is for historians to put pieces of the past together.

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Anyone could apply to become a Roman citizen . Not everyone who applied was accepted, but many were. Would you have wanted to apply? You might have. Something was always going on. There were plays in open air theaters. There were festivals, both religious festivals and festivals put on by rich Romans.

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Back to History for Kids
Ancient Rome was a powerful and important civilization that ruled much of Europe for nearly 1000 years. The culture of Ancient Rome was spread throughout Europe during its rule. As a result, Rome's culture still has an impact in the Western world today. The basis for much of Western culture comes from Ancient Rome, especially in areas such as government, engineering, architecture, language, and literature.

The city of Rome is the capital of Italy today
Map of Italy from the CIA World Factbook

The Roman Republic

Rome first grew into power as a Republic. This meant that Rome's leaders, such as senators, were elected officials that served for a limited amount of time, not kings who were born into leadership and ruled for life. They had a complex government with written laws, a constitution, and a balance of powers. These concepts became very important in forming future democratic governments, like the United States.

The Republic would rule Rome for hundreds of years from around 509 BC to 45 BC.

The Roman Empire

In 45 BC Julius Caesar took over the Roman Republic and made himself the supreme dictator. This was the end of the republic. A few years later, in 27 BC, Caesar Augustus became the first Roman Emperor and this was the start of the Roman Empire. Much of the lower level government stayed the same, but now the Emperor had supreme power.

The Roman Forum was the center of government
Photo by Adrian Pingstone

The Empire Splits

As the Roman Empire grew it became more and more difficult to manage from the city of Rome. Eventually the Roman leaders decided to split Rome into two empires. One was the Western Roman Empire and was ruled out of the city of Rome. The other was the Eastern Roman Empire and was ruled out of Constantinople (today's Istanbul in Turkey). The Eastern Roman Empire would become known as Byzantium or theByzantine Empire.

Fall of Rome

The fall of Rome generally refers to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It fell in 476 AD. The Eastern Roman Empire, or the Byzantine Empire, would rule parts of Eastern Europe for another 1000 years.

Interesting Facts about Ancient Rome

The city of Rome is the capital of Italy today. It sits on the same site as the city of ancient Rome. If you were to visit Rome you could see many of the original ancient buildings such as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

The Circus Maximus, a huge stadium built for chariot races, could seat around 150,000 people.

The fall of Western Rome is considered the start of the "Dark Ages" in Europe.

The highest position in the Roman Republic was the consul. There were two consuls at the same time to make sure that one didn't become too powerful.

The native language of the Romans was Latin, but they often spoke Greek as well.

When Julius Caesar took power he named himself dictator for life. However, this didn't last long as he was assassinated a year later.

Recommended books and references:

Nature Company Discoveries library: Ancient Rome by Judith Simpson. 1997.

Exploring the culture, people & ideas of this powerful empire by Avery Hart & Sandra Gallagher ; illustrations by Michael Kline. 2002.

Eyewitness Books: Ancient Rome written by Simon James. 2004.

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Works Cited
Back to History for Kids

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Kids learn about the civilization and history of Ancient Rome including the Roman Republic, Empire, art, religion, army, daily life, people, Senate, and the fall of Rome. Educational articles for students, schools, and teachers.

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A day in the life of a Roman soldier - Robert Garland

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The Roman Empire. Or Republic. Or...Which Was It?: Crash Course World History #10