All Roads Lead to Rome: Life in the Ancient Roman World

Before you read on, think about your morning. Did you walk on a straight road? Use a calendar? Read letters from an alphabet? You might be surprised — many things we use every day were shaped by the Ancient Romans. They built one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen, and their ideas are still around us more than 1,500 years after their civilisation ended. Ready to travel back in time?

Ancient Rome began as a small city in what is now Italy. According to Roman tradition, the city was founded in 753 BCE. Over hundreds of years it grew into a mighty empire. By around 117 CE, the Roman Empire stretched from Britain in the north all the way to Egypt in the south, and from Portugal in the west to Iraq in the east. Millions of people from many different cultures lived under Roman rule. How Was Rome Governed? For much of its history, Rome was a republic — meaning citizens voted for leaders called senators to make decisions for them. Later, from around 27 BCE, Rome was ruled by emperors. The first emperor was Augustus. Emperors had enormous power: they controlled the army, made laws, and decided how taxes were spent. The Roman Army One big reason Rome became so powerful was its army. Roman soldiers, called legionaries, were extremely well trained. They built forts, roads, and bridges as they moved through new lands. These roads helped the army move quickly — and helped trade too. At its largest, the Roman army had around 300,000 soldiers. Daily Life in Rome Not everyone in Rome was a soldier or a senator. Rome was home to a huge mix of people. Rich citizens lived in large houses called domus, with gardens and mosaic floors. Poorer Romans lived in blocks of flats called insulae. Most people shopped in an open market called a forum, bought street food, and visited public baths called thermae to wash and socialise. Romans spoke Latin. This language later developed into French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian — spoken by hundreds of millions of people today. Roman engineers built aqueducts to carry fresh water into cities. The Roman alphabet, with small changes, is the same one you are using right now to read these words. The Fall of Rome The western part of the Roman Empire fell in 476 CE, more than 1,000 years after the city was founded. Historians point to several causes: attacks from groups outside the empire, economic problems, and political instability. Even so, Roman laws, language, architecture, and ideas continued to shape Europe and the wider world for centuries.