Spanning more than seven hundred years,
the ancient Roman Empire was one of the largest empires the world
has ever known. Although this empire fell more than 1,500 years
ago, people, today, are still fascinated by the people and culture
of ancient Rome. The following are offerings that relate facts and
trivia about one of the grandest empires of the past.
Ancient Romans spoke Latin,
which in turn, has influenced many of today's languages that
include French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
Rome's first inhabitants lived
on Palatine Hill around the year 1000 B.C. They were farmers.
According to legend, Rome was founded
by Remus and Romulus, two brothers suckled by a she-wolf. Romulus
killed Remus and named the city after himself.
Roman religion was heavily borrowed
from the neighboring Greeks. Most Roman gods and goddesses are actually
just Romanized versions of Greek gods and goddesses.
Rome became a republic in 509 B.C.
The city began to overtake the rest of Italy by 396 B.C.
To honor their victories, the Romans
built triumphal arches—many still exist today.
Rome contained a senate of
three hundred senators, who served for life.
Historians note many Roman emperors
who were considered to be mad; two of these are Caligula and Nero.
The republic's most notorious
enemy was Hannibal, a general of Carthage in North Africa.
Roman soldiers, or legionaries, usually
covered roughly eighteen miles per day.
Roman roads were built by Roman soldiers.
Soldiers were required to fulfill a term of twenty-five years.
Although Rome and a several other
cities were at the core of the empire, most people actually lived
in the countryside.
Only citizens of Rome were allowed
to wear a toga—a piece of cloth that was wrapped around
the body. Roman senators were allowed to wear togas edged in purple;
only emperors could dress entirely in purple.
Roman emperors wore laurel leaves
on their heads instead of crowns.
Julius Caesar was murdered
in 44 B.C. His death led to civil war.
Emperor Titus opened the infamous
Colosseum in 80 A.D. Slaves were trained as gladiators who often
forced to fight to the death to entertain Romans.
The first Roman emperor to convert
to Christianity was Constantine in 313 A.D.
By 50 B.C., Rome's population
reached the one million mark.
Rome was sacked by barbarians
in 410 A.D. The last western Roman emperor lost power in 476 A.D.-
J. A. Young
im in behavior management.
its not funn.
i need 20 facts.. :(
GREETINGS FROM LITHUANIA, thank you one more time.
thanks a lot
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