Ancient Rome

Alexa & Tyler

 Fast Facts
• Ancient Rome was perhaps one of the greatest
empires of the ancient world.
• At one time it was home to around 20% of the
world’s population.
• It covered nearly 1.7 million square miles!
• There were close to 80 emperors and rulers.
• Their main rivals were the Carthaginians, Visgoths,
and Huns.
 Economy
• largely rooted in agrarianism
• focused on farming in order to feed the great number of
citizens
• people owned slaves and used them for farming
• main exports: grains, olives, and grapes
• received many different silks, cotton, and spices from
areas in Asia in trade
• basic banking system with money, but no central
banking system with regulations
 Political System
• Was a monarchy before becoming a Republic: country
becomes “public” and isn't ruled by one person,
officials are elected to represent the people
• people elected magistrates that represented the citizens
• two of the magistrates were consuls: had the most power,
decided upon new laws and when to go to war
• Roman Senate: worked with consuls, men from wealthy
families, usually held the position for life
• Over time, leaders grew in power, which led to Sulla
becoming dictator in 83 B.C. after success as consul.
• Julius Caesar was dictator before being assassinated
• Caesar’s nephew, Octavian, introduced an Empire in 27
B.C.
 Social
Structure/Social Life
• Citizens separated into two social classes: plebeians and
patricians
• Plebeians included the poor, farmers, and servants.
• Patricians were made up of wealthy politicians, landowners,
etc.
• women had could not own property and their father decided
who they could marry, but they could be considered citizens
• went to “baths” that were like communal pools where citizens
would wash and socialize
• ate simple foods like bread, soup, olives, and cheese
• A place called the Campus where people could gather to
partake in various sports
 Gods and
Goddesses
Famous deities include-
• Mars- god of War
• Jupiter- god of the sky, king of the
gods
• Neptune- god of the sea
• Hades- god of the underworld
• Venus- goddess of love and beauty
 Major
Contributions
• The Romans perfected the aqueduct around 300
B.C.
• This was a pathway for water to the city of Rome.
• Most were underground, some followed bridges.
• Rome developed the modern system of building
roads; over 400,000 kilometers of road
• They layered materials including stone and wood.
• created one of the first types of concrete, which was
used for the Colosseum
• the Julian calendar was developed and has helped
shape our modern-day calendar