Adapted from: The Great BooK of Questions

The ancient Roman civilization was the most

powerful of all ancient civilizations. In the begin-

ning Rome was a small city-state that was under the

control of the Etruscans. It soon grew to become the

largest empire in the ancient world. Ancient Rome

was greatly influenced by the ancient Greek culture.

According to legend, Rome was founded on 21

April 753 BC by Romulus and Remus, who were

twins born to Mars, the Roman god of war. A fight

broke out between the two brothers regarding the

exact location of the city of Rome, and Romulus

ended up killing Remus. Romulus then completed

building the city that was later named Rome after

him.

Romulus was the first of the Seven Kings of

Rome to rule the city. Around509 BC, Tarquin, the

last of the Seven Kings, was made to step down

from the throne and the Roman Republic was es-

tablished. Under this system, Rome was ruled by

magistrates and other representatives who were

elected by the people. The Republic of Rome dom-

inated all of Western Europe. However, by 30 BC,

Rome once again came under the rule of kings and

became known as the Roman Empire. The Roman

Empire was later divided into two parts – eastern

and western.

Ancient Romans were brilliant architects and en-

gineers who constructed magnificent buildings

throughout the Empire. However, they are best

known for their amazing public baths, roads, aque-

ducts and drainage systems. Baths were a very im-

portant part of life in ancient Rome. Both men and

women visited the baths at least once a day. The

water in the baths was channelled through aqueducts

Apart from baths and aqueducts, ancient Romans

also built roads, some of which still exist today.

Roads in ancient Rome had multiple layers. The

bottom layer, called pavimentum, was made of mor-

tar. This was covered with a layer of stones and

cement. A layer of concrete and slabs of stone was

added to this. Finally, the upper layer of concrete

and smooth pebbles was laid. This method of build-

ing roads is known as paving.

D

E

A

C

B

TASK 1/ read the paragraphs above and reorder them to get a coherent text. The order

of the pictures may serve as a clue.

TASK 2/ Read your text now and answer the following questions:

a) Was it historically proved that Rome was founded on 21 April 753 BC?

b) Why did Romulus kill Remus?

c) Which civilization had inspired ancient Romans?

d) Did the Roman Empire remain unified?

e) What were ancient Romans famous for?

TASK 3/ Say if the following statements are true or false according to the text:

a) According to legend, Romulus was older than Remus.

b) The two brothers didn’t agree on where to build the city of Rome.

c) Ancient Romans knew only one political system.

d) Ancient Greece was more powerful than ancient Rome.

e) Attending public baths was a popular and daily activity among ancient Romans.

TASK 4/In which paragraphs are the following ideas expressed?

a) Ancient Romans were very good at the construction industry.

b) The types of the political system in ancient Rome.

TASK 5/ Find who or what the words in bold type refer to in the text

TASK 6/ Find in the text words whose definitions are:

a) A group of countries and states under a single ruler or ruling power.

b) Stories gathered together and handed down from the past and that may not be

true.

c) Buildings where people sit or lie in water to wash their whole bodies.

TASK 7/ Change the following sentences from passive to active:

a) Rome was founded on 21 April 753 BC by Romulus and Remus.

b) A layer of concrete and slabs of stone was added by Roman constructors to the

bottom layer.

c) Under the Roman Republic, Rome was ruled by magistrates and other repre-

sentatives.

d) These magistrates and representatives were elected by the people of Rome.

e) Ancient Rome was greatly influenced by the ancient Greek culture.

TASK 8/ Change the following sentences from active to passive:

a) After killing his brother, Romulus completed building Rome alone.

b) Ancient Romans built roads, baths and aqueducts.

c) The Republic of Rome dominated all of Western Europe.

d) Both men and women visited the baths at least once a day.

e) Ancient Romans constructed magnificent buildings throughout the Empire.