Ancient Rome

'Let's now move on to Rome, Agent. As you will see, the Romans influenced the history of the world in many, many ways. That's why Ophelia Chill will try to change as much here as she can!'

According to legend, Rome was founded by the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, in 753 BC. It was built on a hill above the Tiber River in what is now Italy. Archaeologists have found remains of an earlier settlement dating back to about 1000 BC, however.

The legend says the uncle of Romulus and Remus had them thrown into a river when they were babies. The two were rescued by a she-wolf, who raised them as her own.

Rome was named after Romulus, who was its first king, according to legend.

Rome was ruled by the Etruscans from the 7th century BC, until about 510 BC, when the Etruscan king was overthrown and Rome became a republic ruled by two praetors, of chief executives, chosen by the citizens of Rome.

The Romans were excellent architects and builders. They constructed eleven huge pipes called aqueducts to carry water into the city from distant sources. The first was built around 312 BC. Some of the aqueducts were built above ground, while others were underground. One of history's greatest disasters gave us clues to what Roman life was like, Agent.

The town of Pompeii, Italy was founded around 600 BC. It was built at the mouth of what is now called the Sarno River, a few miles south of Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano.

Pompeii became a Roman colony around 80 BC under the rule of the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. It soon grew to be a popular resort area for wealthy Roman citizens.

In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the town of Pompeii in tons of lava and ash. The town lay buried until 1748, when the ruins were discovered.

In the years following the discovery, the ruins have been completely unearthed, and many astonishing things have been found.

The eruption happened so quickly that many townspeople were caught in the middle of a meal, or sleeping, or doing other ordinary things. Their remnants were preserved by the ash, and gave archaeologists many clues as to what Roman life was like.

Let's back up a bit to the third century BC, and one of the greatest military feats of all time.

A boy named Hannibal was born to Hamilcar Barca, a general who commanded the armies of Carthage, an ancient North African city near what is now Tunis.

At the age of nine, Hannibal joined his father on an expedition to conquer Spain. When he turned twenty-five, he was chosen to lead the armies of Carthage against the Romans, the sworn enemies of Carthage.

He brought his army of 40,000 on a march from Spain across the Alps to Rome that took one year. To this day, that march is considered one of history's greatest military feats.

Although he fought many successful battles against the Roman armies, Hannibal eventually lost the war in 202 BC, and ended his life with poison around 182 BC.

Here's a Roman you are certain to know, Agent: Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was born in Rome around 100 BC. He joined forces with a general named Pompey and a wealthy patrician named Crassus in 60 BC to rule Rome as a triumvirate, or 3-man ruling party.

The triumvirate gradually fell apart after Crassus was killed in a battle against the Parthian Empire. Civil war broke out between the forces loyal to Pompey and those loyal to Caesar.

Caesar's armies forced Pompey to leave Rome, and in 49 BC Caesar was named dictator, making him the most powerful man in Rome.

He ruled until March 15, 44 BC, when his political enemies in the Roman senate, including his former ally Marcus Junius Brutus, assassinated him.

'You may not know this, Agent, but Julius Caesar was a man of many talents. In addition to being a great general and statesman, Caesar was a talent writer. He also created his own calendar.'

The Julian calendar contained 365 days, and also included an extra day each fourth year, or "Leap Year." He renamed the month called Quintilus after himself, Julius (we call it July).

The Julian calendar was widely used until AD 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII changed it to fix an error that added 14 minutes each year. This calendar was known as the Gregorian calendar.

Throughout history, the rulers of Rome tried to grow the empire as much as possible. The Roman emperor Claudius I invaded Britain in AD 43. The Roman armies occupied Britain for the next 400 years.

During the occupation of Britain, the emperor Hadrian had a great wall built across the north of Britain to defend the Roman lands against hostile Britons.

Artifacts from the Roman occupation of Britain are still being discovered today.

Let's spend a moment on Roman life.

The Romans were fond of outdoor games, so they built large outdoor stadiums. The largest was completed around AD 80, and was called the Colosseum. It had enough seats for 45,000 spectators.

Roman citizens would come to the Colosseum to watch gladiators, who were often slaves, battle to the death. They also enjoyed a host of other violent games.

Roman chariot races were held in oval-shaped stadiums called circuses. The largest of the Roman circuses was called the Circus Maximus.

The Romans were also good at building roads. They had hundreds of roads to connect all parts of their empire. Much of the road construction took place during the rule of Emperor Augustus.

The Roman Empire split into two parts in AD 395, and the halves were known as the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire.

The capital of the Western Empire was still Rome, but invasions by barbarian armies caused the Western Roman Empire to fall within 100 years of the split.

The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was the city of Byzantium. The eastern Empire was also known as the Byzantine Empire.

After he became emperor, Constantine changed the name of the capital to Constantinople in AD 330.

The Byzantine Empire lasted until AD 1453, when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

Let's talk for a moment about Jesus and the rise of Christianity within the Roman Empire.

Jesus was born around 6 BC to a Jewish family in Bethlehem, a town that was part of the Roman province in Judea.

In AD 1582, Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar to measure years in relation to Jesus's birth. The calendar was then known as the Gregorian calendar. Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God.

At the age of 30, Jesus began his travels, teaching the love of God, of fellow man, and even of enemies. He chose twelve apostles, or followers, to help spread his messages.

At the age of 33, he was arrested by the Romans. Jesus died by crucifixion at the order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea.

The New Testament of the bible contains four accounts of his life and teachings.

Christianity, the religion which centers around Jesus' teachings, took hold among the Roman population, but it was outlawed in the Roman Empire until AD 313, when emperor Constantine made it equal to all other religions in the empire.

Once that happened, the religion quickly spread throughout the empire, until emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in AD 379.

In AD 445, the bishop of Rome became the first pope.

From beginning to end, the Roman Empire lasted for 1500 years, and included lands from Egypt to Britain.

Additional Research
If you want to continue your research into Roman history, Agent, look up these topics in your local library:
 * 1) Circus Maximus
 * 2) History of London, England
 * 3) Julius Caesar