The Romans
Roman Emperors
• In the beginning Rome was ruled by
kings. However as the city’s power grew
senators and army generals fought to
control the lands.
• Eventually one person took over, the
emperor.
Roman Emperors
• Many people thought the
famous Roman General Julias
Caesar would be the first Roman
Emperor.
• Caesar was a powerful general.
He extended the Roman Empire through Europe
and into Britain.
• Unfortunately Caesar was murdered by a group
of people who did not like his decisions.
Roman Emperors
• A few years after Caesars death in 27 BCE, his
nephew Augustus Caesar became the first of
49 emperors of Rome.
• Augustus ruled from 27 BCE to 14 BCE.
Roman Emperors
• Roman emperors were very powerful. The
emperors head was stamped on Roman coins.
• Emperors were worshipped like gods.
Temples were built to them all over the
empire.
Roman Emperors
• Emperors were not kings and they did not
wear crowns. They wore wreaths made from
Laurel to celebrate victory and power.
Roman Life
• What was life like for a Roman family?
• Life for women in Roman times was often hard. Mother
was less important than father in the family. Father had
the power of life or death over everyone. When a new
baby was born it would be laid at its father's feet - if the
father picked the baby up it would live, but if he ignored
the baby it would be taken away to die. Women were
expected to run the home, cook meals, and raise children.
If they were wealthy, women were lucky; they had
slaves to do the work.
• Many girls were married at the age of 14. Marriages were
often arranged between families. A man could divorce his
wife if she did not give birth to a son. Many women died
young (in their 30s), because childbirth could be
dangerous, and diseases were common.
Roman Life
Roman Life
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Did Romans go to school?
Most children in Roman times did not go to school. Only quite rich
families could afford to pay a teacher. Most schools were in towns.
Not many girls went to school, but some were taught at home
by tutors, who were often educated slaves. Boys from rich families
learned history, maths, and literature at school, to prepare them
for jobs in the army or government. In poor families, girls and boys
had to work, helping their parents.
Roman Life
• What did Romans eat?
• Poor Romans ate bread, vegetable soup, and porridge. Meat was
a luxury, unless they lived in the countryside and could go
hunting or fishing.
• Poor people's small homes had no kitchens. So they often took
food round to the baker, to cook in his oven. Many people bought
takeaways, such as sausages or fried fish, from food-shops.
• Rich Romans had food cooked at home in the kitchen by slaves.
Most ate a light breakfast, and a snack at mid day - perhaps
bread and cheese, or boiled eggs and salad. They ate dinner in
late afternoon, with a starter, a meat course (such as hare, pig,
beef, goat, chicken, fish or pigeon) followed by fruit or nuts. Ice
cream was a treat. Lettuce was served at the end of a meal
because Romans believed it helped you sleep.
Roman Life
• What were Roman toys like?
• Roman children had some toys very like ones we
play with today - such as toy soldiers, rattles,
balls, doll's houses, carts and pull-along animals
on wheels. Even poor children had board games,
using pebbles for counters, and wooden dolls.
Some dolls had moveable arms and legs. Roman
children had ivory letters to practise their
spellings with. Favourite Roman pets were dogs,
birds and monkeys.
Roman Life
Roman Life
• If you were a rich family during the Roman
Empire you would have had a slave.
• Slaves were either born as slaves or were
captives of war. They worked hard as
household slaves or on farms or building sites.
They were not paid for their work.
• Slaves could be badly treated, but sometimes
they were treated as members of the family.
Roman Life
Roman Towns
• What were Roman towns like?
• The Romans built towns in Britain, with walls and
gates to let people in and out. Before the Romans
came, people lived in villages, though some big
settlements were like towns but with only
wooden buildings. Roman builders used stone,
brick and tiles. Some Roman towns were built at
Celtic places. For example, Calleva Atrebatum was
a Roman town built on a settlement of the
Atrebates tribe. Its modern name is Silchester.
Roman Towns
• Roman towns were neatly laid out. Streets crisscrossed. There were shops, workshops, houses and
yards for animals. People gathered in the market and
meeting area, the forum. The basilica was both a law
court and town hall. Many Roman towns had public
baths, open to everyone, and an amphitheatre. By
AD 100, London was the biggest town in Roman
Britain.
Roman Towns
• Is Manchester a Roman town?
• If a place-name has 'chester' or 'cester' in it (from
castrum, the Roman word for a fort), it's almost
certainly Roman. Many towns grew up close to or on
the site of a Roman fort. Examples are Chester,
Gloucester, and Manchester. You can probably find
more.
Can you see any other Roman
towns like Manchester?
Roman Towns
• What were the finest Roman homes?
• The biggest and grandest Roman homes were
villas and rulers' palaces. Thegovernor of Britain
had a palace in London. Another palace was
beside the sea, at Fishbourne (near Chichester in
West Sussex). Archaeologists have uncovered the
ruins. The house had about 100 rooms, an
underfloor heating system, and lots of mosaics.
You can still see some today.
In these pictures you can see
an old Roman fireplace, a
mosaic and a Roman road in
Britain.
Roman Letters and Numerals
• Latin was spoken in ancient Rome.
• We call Latin a dead language because no one
speaks it today.
• Many modern languages, including English,
are written in the same alphabet the Romans
used.
Roman Letters and Numerals
• Here are some Latin words and their meaning
Abbas – father
Doctor - teacher
Acceptus – welcome
dolor - pain
Adamo – love
Dormio - sleep
Bestia – animal
erogo - pay
Canis – dog
fabula - story
Celebrer – famous
famulus - servant
Cena – meal
femina - woman
Roman Letters and Numerals
• Roman numerals were 7 letters
These letters made up every number in the
number system.
Roman Entertainment
• The Romans celebrated many religious
festivals with entertainment.
• There were three main kinds of
entertainment: plays, games and races.
Roman Entertainment
• Roman theatres could hold thousands of
people. Actors were popular stars, just like
they are today.
• They wore masks so they
could be seen from the back
seats. The plays were comedies
to make people laugh or
serious tragedies.
Roman Entertainment
• Roman games were bloody and deadly. They
were held in huge amphitheatres, like the
Colosseum, where crowds would gather to
watch gladiator fights and re-enactments of
wars.
• Gladiators were criminals
war captives or slaves. Some
were professional fighters.
Roman Entertainment
• Chariot races were held in the circus or
hippodrome. Charriots pulled by two or four
horses raced around a track.
• Teams of racers had their own supporters, like
football teams have today.
The Roman Army
• The Roman army was very successful.
• The soldiers were well trained.
• Their job was to conquer and control the lands
they invaded.
• The army was very important to the Emperor
and he made sure his soldiers were looked
after.
The Roman Army
• A soldier joined the army for 25 years.
• He was paid in money and in salt.
• His weapons were a stabbing sword and a
spear, and he was protected by a helmet, body
armour and a large rectangular shield.
The Roman Army
• During a war, soldiers marched up to 32
kilometres a day carrying heavy equipment.
• They built roads and bridges as they went.
• Each night, they set up camp and took it down
the next day.
The Roman Army
• A legion was made up of about 5,000 soldiers
called legionaries. They were organised into
smaller groups of about 100 soldiers called
centuries. A century was led by an officer
called a centurion.
• Each legion carried a silver eagle standard
which was the symbol of its power. If the
standard was captured by the enemy, the
legion broke up.
The Roman Army
• Here is a typical formation for the army when
they went into battle.
Gods and Myths
• The Romans worshipped many gods and
goddesses.
• They believed the gods protected the Roman
Empire.
• Towards the end of the Roman Empire,
Christianity became the official religion.
Gods and Myths
• Temples were built for each god or goddess, to
worship them.
• People brought animals to the temples to
sacrifice to please the gods.
• Priests killed the animals on an altar and
special requests to the gods were made.
Gods and Myths
• Each god or goddess had a role.
• JUPITER – king of the gods, was the god of
thunder and lightning. He carried a lightning
bolt.
Gods and Myths
• CERES – goddess of the harvest, carried ears
of corn.
• DIANA – goddess of the moon and hunting
carried a bow and arrow.
Gods and Myths
• MARS – the god of war, was said to be the
father of Romulus and Remus.
• NEPTUNE – god of the sea and earthquakes.
He rode a horse in the waves.
Gods and Myths
• The gods belonged to a family. Stories about
them, called myths, explained what happened
in the world.
• There were many other gods and goddesses.
Take a look at the worksheet with more gods
and goddesses.