The story of ancient Rome is a tale of how a small community of shepherds in the central Italy grew to become one of the greatest empires in history, and then collapsed. According to Roman legend. Rome was founded in 753 B. C. By 275 B. C. , it controlled most of the Italian Peninsula. In the A. D. 100s, the Roman Empire covered about half of Europe, much of the Middle East, and the northern coast of Africa. The empire then began to crumble, party because it was too big for Rome to govern. The millions of people who lived in the Roman Empire spoke many languages and followed many different customs and religions.
But the Roman Empire bound them together under a common system of law and government. The languages of the ancient Romans, Latin, became the basis of French, Italian, Spanish, and the other Romance languages. The Roman Empire probably had from 50 to 70 million people at its height. Of that maybe nearly 1 million people lived in Rome, and from 5 to 6 million lived in the rest of Italy. The people of ancient Rome were dived into various social classes. Members of the senate and their families made up the most powerful upper class group. Most people belonged to the lower classes and had little social standing.
In the lower class, Romans were distinguished between citizens and slaves. Citizens were farmers, city workers, and soldiers. Most slaves were captured in warfare. Rome was the capital and the largest city of the Roman Empire. It had almost a million inhabitants. Cities in the Roman Empire served as center of trade and culture. At the heart of a Roman city laid the forum- a large open space surrounded by markets, government buildings and temples. Rich and poor gathered together in the bustling forum and at the baths, theaters, and arenas.
The earliest Romans believed that gods and goddesses had power over agriculture and all aspects of daily life. During the 300s B. C. , the Romans came info increasing contact with Greek ideas. They then began to worship Greek gods and goddesses. They gave them Roman names and built temples and shrines in their honor. The government controlled the religion of ancient Rome. Priests were government officials, who were either elected or appointed to office. But by A. D. 100, many Romans had lost interest in their religion. They became attracted to the religions of the Middle East, which appealed strongly to the emotions.
Christianity, one of the Middle Eastern religions, gained many followers. The Romans began their day at sunrise. Breakfast was usually a light meal of bread and cheese. Most Romans ate lunch just before midday. For wealthy Romans, it consisted of meat or fish and olives or fruit. Dinner, the main meal, began in the late afternoon so that it would end before sunset. Wealthy Romans ate several courses at dinner. Their first course might include eggs, vegetables, and shellfish. The main course featured meat, fish or fowl. For dessert, they usually ate honey-sweetened cakes and fruit.
Poorer Romans ate much simpler meals. For example, their dinners consisted mainly of porridge and bread plus some olive, fruit or cheese. The Romans wore simple clothes made of wool or linen. The main garment for both men and women was a gown called a tunic. It hung to the knees or below. Over the tunic, men wore a toga and women wore a palla. Both resembled a large sheet, which was draped around the body. Men almost wore white clothing, though the toga of the upper class Romans had a purple border. Womens clothing could be dyed different colors.
In the cities, most Romans lived in crowded apartment buildings from 3-5 stories high. Only rich Roams could afford houses. Their houses were built around a courtyard called an atrium. The atrium was spacious and had a roof opening that let in light and air. A series of kings ruled ancient Rome at the beginning of its history. Each king was advised by a senate made up of the heads of Romes leading families. The Roman Republic was established in 509 B. C. , after Roman nobles overthrew the king. The new government kept many features of the earlier system including the senate and citizen assemblies.
Two elected officials called consuls headed the government. A consul served for only one year. The senate was the most powerful government body of the Roman Republic. Senators unlike consuls, served for life. The Roman Republic lasted nearly 500 years, until 27 B. C. Most of the knowledge we know about ancient Rome comes from written records of the Romans. These records include such document as law codes, treaties, and decrees of the emperors. In many works authors wrote about events they lived through. For example Julius Caesar wrote about his conquest of Gaul in Commentaries on the Gallic War.
