By ScoobyDoo910

THE ROMANS

Rome is in Italy. It began around 1000BC as a village of wooden huts but soon grew rich and powerful.Romans ruled most of Italy, and started to invade neighbourhood lands from Scotland to Turkey. By around AD300, Rome was the largest city in the world with over a million people.

ROME

It was surrounded by 50 kilometres of strong stone walls to keep out attackers.All visitors had to enter the city through one of its 37 gates which were guarded by Soldiers and Watchmen.

PROTECTED CITY

GREAT WATER ENGINEERS

Romans designed aqueducts raised channels to carry water from streams in far away hills and mountains to the city.The richest roman houses were supplied with constant running water carried in lead pipes. Ordinary people had to drink from public fountains.

GOVERNMENTThe government was run by Noble and Knights who were usually very rich. Ordinary people were usually very poor but were citizens of Rome. People went to meet their friends as business colleagues gathered to discuss politics . This was at The Forum, which was mainly a market place surrounded by government buildings such as offices and law-courts.

Poor Romans lived in simple flats called insulae . They often only contained one or two rooms. There was no running water. Ordinary people lived in small flats with a shop in front and workshops behind.

Soldiers lived in the fort outside the main part of town. Wealthy Romans lived in a domus. They were single storey house built around a courtyard known as an atrium and they had no roofs. The house had many rooms including kitchen, bath, dining, bedrooms and rooms for slaves. A verandah with a low wall and pillars kept the rooms cool in the summer. It also had pool but was not used for swimming, just for decoration.

CITY LIFE

FIRST SHOPPING MALLRome built the first Shopping Mall called Trajan’s Market. It was built on 5 levels on the Quirinal Hill in the centre of Rome. It had 150 different shops with a large main hall.Roman shoppers had to get up early as many shops closed at noon.

SCHOOL DAYSBoys learned how to speak well. Main things were Reading, Maths and Public Speaking. They went to school from 7 to 16 years old.Girls did not go to school. They said at home and learned how to cook, clean, weave cloth and look after children.Girls from rich families also learned to write, read and keep accounts.

Romans used flat wooden boards covered with wax. As the wax could be smoothed over and used again. To make black ink they mixed soot from wood fires and vinegar and a sticky gum that oozed from the bark of trees.

ROMANS WRITING BOARDS

Roman men and women wore loose-fitting robes made of long strips of clothes. Rich men and women wore robes made of smooth fine wool and silk.Romans wore many different styles of clothes.Men from Egypt wore wigs and short kilts.

CLOTHES

Roman soldiers and travellers wore lace up boots with thick leather soles studded with iron nails.Farmers wore shoes made of a single piece of ox-hide wrapped around the foot.

SHOES

HAIRWoman grew their hair long as short hair was a sign of slavery. In early Roman times the fashion was for plain and simple styles. Later on they wore if smoothed down.Men usually wore short hair and clean shaven.

Romans liked music and dancing. They liked comic plays that had happy endings. Also they liked clowns and invented mine.Men did plays and for the womens role they wore masks and wore female costumes.

MUSIC AND DANCING

FIGHTINGRomans liked gladiators for their strength, skill and bravery. Their lives were short and deaths horrible. They went to the arena and stayed until they diec.They fought wild beats and each other. The Colosseum was the largest Amphitheatre in Roman empire. It had 50,000 seats