Ancient Rome Table of Contents
Page # Title of Page
1 Geography of Ancient Rome
2 Remus and Romulus
3 Gods and Goddesses
4 The Roman Republic
5 The Punic Wars
6 Important Romans
7 Roman Architecture
8 Entertainment
9 Mount Vesuvius
10 Romans and the Christians
11 Decline of the Roman Empire
Geography of Ancient Rome
Remus and Romulus
1. Rhea gave birth to twins, 2. Amulius ordered his soldiers
naming them Romulus and to throw the babies into the
Remus river Tiber.
3. The twins were found by a 4. A shepard found the twins
she-wolf who looked after and raised them as his own.
them.
5. Romulus and Remus helped 6. They argued, fight each
overthrow Amulius before toher. Romulus killed Remus
deciding to build their own and named the city Rome.
city.
Gods and Goddesses
● the ancient Romans were polytheistic, meaning they believed in
multiple gods
Vesta
● Sister of Jupiter
● Goddess of the hearth
● Protector of home and family
● One of the first gods worshipped
Janus
● watched over Roman houses
● shown with two faces
● hung over every doorway
● month of January is named for him
Saturn
● God of seeds and planting (agriculture)
● He also associated with wealth
● The celebration of Saturnalia was held in
December to celebrate him; there were feasts,
gift-giving, and games
The Roman Republic
● Romans spoke Latin
● Republic: no king, people choose ruler
Senate
● part of the government
● controlled by Patricians
The Punic Wars
1st Punic War
● Rome vs. Carthage
● Carthage had many ships, while Rome had none
● Lasted for 23 years
● Rome won and took over Carthage
2nd Punic War
● Hannibal from Carthage held a grudge
● He crossed the Alps and had elephants, which the Romans had
never seen before
● After many losses on both sides, Carthage and Rome signed a
peace treaty
● Carthage had to give up Spain and pay a lot of money to Rome
3rd Punic War
● Fought against Hannibal
● Only lasted 3 years
● Rome destroyed Carthage and poured salt in the soil so no crops
could grow
Important Romans
Julius Caesar
● Ruled Rome for 5 years
● Killed by the Senate
● After his death, there was a civil war
Augustus Caesar (Octavian)
● Changed his name from Octavian to Augustus (meaning respected
one)
● Was Julius Caesar’s great nephew and adopted son
Nero
● Believed himself to be a great muscian
● Rumored to have started a fire in Rome
Cleopatra
● She helped Marc Antony go to war against Octavian (Augustus)
Roman Architecture
3 important roman structures were:
1. Roads
2. Bridges
3. Aqueducts
The Romans were also known for using the arch to build lasting
structures.
Entertainment
Colosseum: a grand amphitheater (stadium) in Rome where games and
competitons were held
● gladiator vs. gladiator
● gladiator vs. animal/the hunts
● animal vs. animal
Circus Maximus: where chariot and boat races were held
Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius
● Mt. Vesuvius erupted in AD79
● Ash and pumice (volcanic rock) and hot gas from Mt. Vesuvius
covered Pompeii. The town and those who could not escape were
buried.
Romans and Christians
● Emperors ruled Rome for 500 years after Augustus Caesar
● Romans thought Christians were dangerous to Rome because they
worshipped one god instead of all Roman gods
● Constantine: made Christianity the official religion of Rome
● B.C. = Before Christ
● A.D. = In the Year of Our Lord
Decline of the Roman Empire
There were many theories to explain why the Roman Empire fell apart.
Military
● poor pay
● Roman soldiers pillaging
Economic
● heavy taxes on people
● slavery slowed new inventions
Social
● less belief in hard work
● no one helped poor
Political
● bad emperors
● empire split into East and West
Justinian code: Roman laws that were written and saved