Ancient Rome began as villages along the Tiber River that united in 750 BC to form the city of Rome. For over 200 years, kings ruled Rome before it became a republic in 509 BC governed by the powerful Roman Senate. Under ambitious generals, Rome's army expanded the republic's territory around the Mediterranean Sea. Roman civilization was supported by advanced architecture like aqueducts and arches, public baths, theaters, and the Colosseum arena. Citizens enjoyed sports, entertainment, and social activities while families, social classes, and country life were defined by hierarchy and economic status.

1. ANCIENT ROME

2. In the Beginning
• Ancient Rome start as a group
of villages along the Tiber
River in what is now Italy.
• Around 750 B.C. these villages
united to form the city of
Rome.

3. Formation of Roman Republic
• For more than 200 years, kings ruled Rome.
• In 509 B.C. Rome became a Republic.
• The Roman Senate was an assembly of elected
representatives. It was the single most powerful ruling body
of the Roman Republic

4. Patricians
• In the beginning most of
the people elected to the
Senate were patricians.
• Patricians controlled the law
since they were the only
citizens allowed to be
judges.

5. Plebeians
• Plebeians had the
right to vote, but
could not hold
public office until
287 B.C, when they
gained equality
with patricians.

6. Roman Expansion
 Under the leadership of ambitious(motivated) generals,
Rome’s highly trained soldiers took over most of the land
surrounding the Mediterranean.
 The ancient Romans called the Mediterranean mare nostrum,
meaning “our sea”.

7. Geography
 The first settlers of Rome were the Latins. They chose this
spot because of the mild climate, good farmland, and
strategic location.
 The settlers farmed in the fertile plain at the base of the hills
and built their homes on the hilltops. They built a top the
hills so they would be able to defend themselves against an
enemy attack.
 Rome began on the Italian peninsula (point)
 Extends from Europe into the Mediterranean Sea
 Low mountains and hills throughout the rest of Italy
 Close to Mediterranean Sea on several ancient trade routes
 Located next to the Tiber River
 Contained large plains making it easy to farm

8.  South, east, and west surrounded by Seas
 Did not isolate
 Did not serve as a barrier
 Allowed for unity

9. Religion
• The Romans began by worshipping different gods and
goddesses (like the Greeks), but eventually become Christians.

10. Religion was important to Romans.
Romans wanted to please their gods.
Believed gods controlled their daily life.
If someone was sick, Romans would leave an offering.
Festivals and holidays held throughout the year.

11. Enjoying Life in Ancient Rome
There was always
something to do in
this exciting city. One
of the most popular
events was to attend
a horse race at a
place called Circus
Maximus.
At night, theaters in
Rome offered plays
and music. The
Romans were very
social and loved to be
entertained.

12. Rome had more than
100 public baths. The
baths were open to
the rich and poor.
People could also
exercise, relax, eat,
read, or walk through
gardens at the baths.
At the forum in Rome,
people would talk, hear
the latest news, shop,
and eat.
There were entertainers
who would sing, dance,
and even charm snakes
in the Forum.

13. Roman
Architecture

14. Arches(curves)
• The Romans used
arches to support the
things they built.
• They built victory
arches, buildings and
aqueducts.

15. Aqueducts

16. Aqueducts-
a way to carry water
• There wasn’t enough water in the city of
Rome.
• The Romans brought water in from the
surrounding countryside.
• The water was brought in by tubes called
aqueducts.

17. Why arches?
• Water is heavy stuff.
• The Romans needed a
structure strong enough to
hold all that water to move
it from the mountains into
the city.

18. Where did the water go?
• The water was transported in
concrete tunnels.
• The tunnels were underground
if possible.
• Sometimes the tunnel had to
go above ground.

19. The Coliseum-
a place for sports

20. The Coliseum- a blend of Greek and Roman
architecture
• The arches are supported by central columns.
• The columns on the first floor are Doric.
• The columns on the second floor are Ionic.
• The columns on the third floor are Corinthian.

22. The Circus Maximus
• A racetrack for 200,000 spectators to watch the chariot races.

23. The Pantheon-
a temple to all the gods

24. Gladiators
• Gladiators were prisoners or slaves
who were trained to fight, and they
would fight to the death.
• Gladiators would fight each other,
and also against fierce(aggressive)
wild beasts(animals) such as lions,
tigers, or bears!
• Some gladiators were equipped with
only a fishing net and a long fork
called a trident. Others wore armor
and carried swords or daggers.

25. Military Tactics(diplomacies)
• Rome’s army consisted of about
300,000 soldiers, split(divided) into
legions(masses) of 5,000 soldiers.
• The legions were posted all over the
empire to capture new lands, guard
them, and to control local rebels.
• Their shields acted as a shell,
protecting them from attack

26. All Roads Lead to Rome
• The Roman army built
roads that linked all
the parts of the
empire.
• The Romans laid more
than 50,000 miles of
roads to tie together
their empire.
• Many of the roads can
still be seen today.

27. • Roads were built from layers of sand, stone, gravel, and
paving slabs. They curved, so any rain drained away.
• The Romans tried to build the roads as straight as possible
so that the army could take the shortest route.

28. • Rome had a strong economy. This is
partly due to their agriculture and trade.
• Farming was always an important
aspect in the Roman economy. Industry
also grew in Rome.
• Romans manufactured goods such as
pottery, metal goods, glass, wine, olive
oil, and other food products.
Economy

29. • The Roman empire fostered
(raised)economic growth through the
use of trade routes.
• Rome traded with many areas of
the world including: Spain, Africa,
western Asia, Gaul, and other parts of
Europe.
• By trading, Rome received valuable
goods that were not available to
them at home including: grain, ivory,
silk, spices, gold, silver, and even wild
animals.

30. Currency
• During the reign of Augustus, a common coin
called a denarius was used throughout the
empire.
• Having a common form of money made trade
between different parts of the empire much
easier. This way, traders didn’t have to change
their money into another currency when they
bought and sold goods.
• As the economy expanded, so did the gap
between the two social groups in Rome, the
Patricians and Plebeians.

31. • The citizens of Rome
were expected to fight
to defend the republic.
• They were part-time
soldiers. After fulfilling
their duty, the men went
back to their farms.
• Often times their
enemies had better
weapons, so the Romans
copied the best weapons
and tactics, and learned
from their defeats.
Much of what we
know about Roman
armor and weapons
comes from pictures
and carvings in Rome.
Most Romans fought
on foot and went into
battle wearing little
armor(shield).
To protect the head,
the soldiers wore a
metal helmet with a
neck guard and cheek
plates.
They wore chest and
shoulder armor, and
used a shield and
sword.

32. Family Life
• The family was ruled by the father.
• Roman men provided for the family.
• In rich families men worked.
• In poor families both men and women worked.

33. Babies were born at home.
They were named in a ceremony after 9 days.
Roman boys had a ceremony between ages 14-18.
Roman girls had no ceremony and were married between 12-18.

34. Roman Weddings
Roman girls were married between the ages of 12-18 years old.
The bride wore white toga(garment) and long veil(cover).
The groom(prime) wore a white toga.

35. Food and Drink
• What Romans ate depended on whether they were rich or
poor.
• Main foods were bread, beans, spices, vegetables, cheese and
meats.

36. Rome Housing
• Many poor lived in small crowded tall apartments.
• Poor cooked meals on portable grills which filled the room
with smoke.
• The apartments were cramped, noisy, and dirty.

37. Education
• Poor children were sent to work instead of school.
• Wealthy children were tutored until seven and then went to
school.

38. Ancient Romans also….
Changed our calendar to 365 days and named the months
Gave us 1/3 of our English language
Used Roman numerals that we still see today on clocks, watches,
and in books
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X

39. The People of Ancient Rome
Men were citizens
Women were caretakers
Boys were educated
Girls learned handicrafts and household chores (routines)

40. Country Life
• 90% of the people lived in the country.
• Wealthy Romans owned Villas(cottages).
• Many country folks were not slaves but their lives were hard.
• They lived in huts and worked trying to earn enough to
survive.