Roman Empire

The Romans came from a province of Italy called Latium. They spoke a language called Latin. From the 3rd century BC, they started to build up a huge empire. At its peak in AD 117...

Roman history timeline

Ancient Rome

In about 750 BC, a tribe of people who spoke a language called Latin settled on the banks of the River Tiber in Italy. This settlement became a town called Rome. Over time, Rome...

Punic Wars

By 264 BC, the rapidly growing Roman Republic controlled most of Italy. The Romans started to look further afield, and fought Carthage, a rival city on the coast of North Africa...

Roman army

In the early days of the republic, only citizens (free-born Romans) who owned land were allowed to join the army. Very few of them were full-time soldiers. Once Rome began to fight...

Roman fort

At the farthest reaches of the empire, where the Roman army had conquered new territory, it needed to keep it under control. The army built frontier forts housing up to 800 men...

Roman provinces

Having conquered a new province, Roman governors would begin the process of integrating it into the empire. They introduced Roman coinage and the Latin language. Rome demanded that...

Roman ships

Ships were vital to Rome's power. It was often cheaper and quicker to transport goods or troops by boat than any other form of transport. Shipping in the Mediterranean was always...

Life in the Roman Empire

Roman streets were laid out in a grid pattern around the forum, a central meeting square. The basilica, or town hall, and a large public temple overlooked the forum. Each town...

Gladiators

Gladiators were slaves or criminals who were trained to fight one another—often to the death—as the crowds looked on. Gladiatorial contests, called munera, were held in...

Chariot racing in ancient Rome

Chariot races were held in the town’s hippodrome or circus, a large, oval-shaped arena with a stone barrier down the middle, called a spina. The races were very dangerous. The...

Roman engineering

The Romans were skilled builders and engineers. After conquering a region, they were quick to construct new buildings, roads and aqueducts (for carrying fresh water). Good roads...

Roman baths

Few Roman houses had bathrooms. Instead, people paid daily visits to the public baths. All Roman towns had at least one bathhouse and many had several. They were not only places to...

Roman townhouse

Very rich Roman citizens lived in a townhouse, called a domus. It was richly decorated and furnished. It also had a peaceful walled garden, or peristyle, where the owners could...

Romans A-Z

The Etruscans

The Etruscans were an ancient people whose culture flourished in central Italy from around 800 BC to around 250 BC. The Etruscans have given their name to the modern Italian region...

Palmyra

Palmyra (known as Tadmur in Arabic) grew up around an oasis in the Syrian Desert, to the northeast of Damascus. It was a resting place for traders travelling across the Syrian...