More about ancient Rome
According to legend, Rome was built by Romulus in 753 BC. He named the city after himself and was the first king of Rome.
The Roman Republic
In 509 BC the last king of Rome was gone and Rome became a Republic. Leaders were then elected and served for a limited time. Laws were written down and had to be followed, but everything changed when Julius Caesar took control.
The Roman Empire
Julius Caesar made himself the highest power in the city and put an end to the Republic in 45BC. One year later he was killed and Caesar Augustus became the new leader, the first Roman Emperor. This was the beginning of the Roman Empire.
The two Roman Empires
The Roman Empire grew so much that it became hard to manage from the city of Rome. To make things easier it was split into two empires: the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire. The eastern side was ruled from Constantinople (modern day Turkey) and the western side was ruled from the City of Rome.
The Fall of the Empire
In 476 AD the Western Roman Empire fell but the Eastern Roman Empire still ruled for another 1000 years, it became known as the Byzantine Empire.
Did you know?
- The Romans used urine to wash clothes and whiten their teeth. As crazy as it sounds, it makes a lot of sense. Urine contains ammonia which is very good at cleaning. Today we know how to get ammonia in other ways, we don't need to use urine anymore!
- The Romans believed in different gods and goddesses. They built temples to honour them and prayed to each god for different things. The Statue of Liberty in the United States was inspired by the Roman goddess, Libertas.
