The Ancient Romans were people from the city of Rome as well as the Roman Empire. The city of Rome was founded in what is now Italy in the eighth century BCE. The Romans conquered new lands, expanding their empire, until its peak in 117 CE, when it ruled in Europe, Britain, Northern Africa and parts of Mesopotamia.

Romulus & Remus

One of the most famous Roman myths is the story of how Rome was founded. According to legend, twin sons of the god Mars, Romulus and Remus, were abandoned as children and raised by a wolf. When they grew up, their grandfather, the king, gave them part of his kingdom to start their own city. Romulus and Remus could not agree about which hill to build their city. A fight broke out between the supporters of Romulus and the supporters of Remus. Romulus won the fight and started to build city walls around his hill. Remus was not happy about losing, and he made fun of his brother's wall. In a fit of rage, Romulus struck his brother and Remus was killed. Romulus became the first ruler of Rome.

Religion

Ancient Romans worshiped a pantheon of gods and goddesses as part of everyday life. The actions of the gods explained things they didn't understand or couldn't control, like lightning and the seasons. Many gods and goddesses of Roman mythology were borrowed from other cultures, like the Greeks.

Christianity began as a sect in a Roman province, eventually becoming the official religion of Rome in 380 CE.

Language

Romans spoke and wrote in the Latin language. At first, Latin was only spoken in the area of Latium near Rome, but as the empire spread, the language spread with it. Even after Rome fell, Latin was spoken in Europe for centuries.

Time Periods

Ancient Roman history can be split into three different periods.

During the Regal Period (753– 509 BCE), Rome was ruled by kings.

In Republican Rome (509 BCE - 30 CE), Romans were ruled by upper classes. Top officials, called consuls, could only rule for a limited time so they could not gain too much power. This time period ended with the rule of Julius Caesar, a consul who became a dictator.

Imperial Rome (31 BCE - 478 CE) began with the rule of Rome's first emperor, Augustus. During this time, the Roman Empire expanded to include Europe, northern Africa and parts of the Middle East. It ended when the Western Roman Empire was defeated.

Legacy

The Ancient Roman Empire lasted for almost 1,000 years, and its innovations have influenced the modern world in law, government, art, engineering, language and architecture.

The Latin language changed over time and split into different languages. French, Spanish, and Italian all come from Latin. Many other languages, including English, have Latin words or words that come from Latin words and the modern Latin alphabet comes from the ancient Latin alphabet.

Many Roman innovations are still being used today, like Roman Numerals, concrete and sewer systems. Some ancient Roman roads are now modern highways.