Research Summary

Rome had an Empire that lasted nearly 500 years. According to legend, it all started when two children, Romulus and Remus, were kidnapped and left by a river to die. Supposedly, the two babies were rescued by a she-wolf that took care of them until they were old enough to take care of themselves. When they were older, the boys found a small town in 753 B.C. inhabited by mainly shepherds. Romulus and Remus had a sword fight to determine who would be king of the new land. Romulus killed his brother and became the first king of Rome.

Government

Rome stopped having kings in about 500 B.C. Then Rome had a republic that lasted nearly 500 years. Finally, Rome had an Empire that lasted till A.D. 476.

Religion

Some of Rome’s original gods were Jupiter, chief god and weather god; Juno, chief goddess and goddess of women and childbirth; Minerva, goddess of wisdom and handicrafts; Mars, god of war; Neptune, god of sea and water; Apollo, god of light and healing; Diana, goddess of the moon and hunting; Venus, goddess of love and beauty; Saturn, god of growth and farming; Pluto, god of the dead; and Mercury, messenger of gods, and god of merchants.

 As Rome gained more land, they found out about newer gods from different places. Some of the newer gods were Mithras, god of dark, light, good, and evil, from Iran; Isis and Serapis, gods of death and rebirth, from Egypt; Cybele, goddess of fertility, life, death, and rebirth, from Turkey; and Bacchus, god of wine, and all life giving forces.


Gladiators

 Gladiators were usually thieves or slaves. They trained with wooden weapons at a school called a ludus. Real fights were held at a stadium called the Coliseum. Animals such as lions, leopards, elephants, crocodiles, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, and even ostriches fought in the morning, while gladiators fought in the afternoon. The main type of gladiator was the retiarius, who had a shoulder and arm guard on his left arm, a three-pronged trident, and a net. There was the Thracian who was considered lightly armed. He had a very small round or square shield, a very curved sword, a metal helmet, and two leg guards that went up to his thighs. The secutor had a round helmet with two small round eye holes. His helmet was specially designed so that it wouldn’t get caught in a retiarius’ net. He also had either a leather or metal guard on his right arm, a short sword, a large shield, and a metal guard on his left leg. There was the mirmillo, who had a helmet, a sword, and an oval shield. The samnite had a large oblong shield, a metal or leather guard on his left leg, a visored helmet, and a sword. The last main type of gladiator was the hoplomacus, who had a large rectangular shield, a visored helmet, a short sword, and metal or leather leg and arm guards. His disadvantage was the fact that all his armor made him slow.

 If a gladiator got hurt, he would beg for mercy. If the emperor put his thumb up, the gladiator would live. But if he put his thumb down, a slave dressed as Pluto (god of the dead,) would hit the gladiator on the forehead with a wooden hammer, killing him. If the emperor was not present, the winning gladiator would listen to the crowd shouting whether the gladiator should live, or if they wanted the gladiator to die. Sometimes they even flooded the coliseum for sea battles. If a gladiator won enough battles, the emperor would give the gladiator a wooden sword called a rudus, which gave the gladiator his freedom.           


Chariot Races

Chariot racers were also often slaves. The teams were red, green, blue, and white. They usually had two to four horses pull them. Many people liked to bet on who they thought would win. A magistrate dropped a cloth to show that the race had started. They raced counter-clockwise around a long skinny platform seven times. Crashes were frequent. Winners usually won crowns or other gold items. If a racer won enough gold, he could buy his freedom.


Roman Army

The Roman army was the most powerful of its time. A Roman infantryman usually carried a short sword, a shield, and a throwing spear. A Roman infantryman usually served for 25 years. Rome had many civil wars, but fought in three main wars. The first Punic war lasted from 264-241 B.C. Rome ended up beating Carthage. The second Punic war lasted from 218-201 B.C. In that war Rome won against Carthage again. The Third Punic war lasted from 149-146 B.C. Rome beat Carthage for a third and final time. The army helped Rome gain land that stretched from Ireland to North Africa to the Middle East.


Roman Life

Many babies in Rome died of diseases. If you were a boy, you usually had two or three names. Families usually had pets like dogs, cats, and other animals. Children usually played with toys such as dolls, tops, board games, and marbles. In school, children had to learn Latin and Greek. Women were not considered adults until they were married. Almost all Romans loved wine. They had it with almost every meal. Romans also had a food that was kind of like pizza.


                                                      

Important Rulers

Julius Caesar was famous because he was successful in civil wars and he created the first Roman calendar. It was called the Julian calendar. He got the idea from the Greek lunar calendar. The month of July is named after him. The senate thought that Caesar was getting too powerful, so they surrounded him in a room and stabbed him to death. Octavian (or Augustus,) was Caesar’s adopted son and was the first ruler of the Roman Empire. The months October and August are named after him. Hadrid commanded that there be a wall built to show the boundary of the Roman Empire (parts of the wall can still be seen in England today.) Trajan was very popular because he helped win many, many wars. Diocletio divided Rome into an Eastern and Western empire so that it would be easier to control. Unfortunately, this also made it easier to conquer.


The End of the Empire

Rome had a very strong empire, until German tribes overthrew the Western Roman empire in A.D. 476. Although the Western empire was overthrown, the Eastern Empire was able to last nearly 1,000 years longer, till 1453.

Rome and Italy Today

Italy today is a country located in southern Europe. Rome is present day Italy’s capitol. Italy’s population is around 58,100,000 people. The ”Hymn of Mammel” is Italy’s national anthem. Italy’s size is 116,320 square miles. Their currency is the Euro. Today, 97% of the people in Italy are Roman Catholic. A very small 3% have other religions.  Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and Vatican City (which is a country within the city of Rome.) Italy’s most popular sport by far is soccer. Italy’s main products are machinery, iron, steel, cars, and fabrics. Italy’s main food products are grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, corn, rice, and olives. Children have school six days a week, including Saturday. In Italy, removing your shoes in front of others is considered impolite.

Who I interviewed and what I learned I interviewed Montgomery Walker at the Selah library on December 15th, 2005. He is a professor of history and geography. He was a good interviewee because he has been involved with ancient Rome for 15 years. He said he was interested in ancient Rome because he thought that it was neat that Rome was able to have a civilization that lasted for 2,000 years. He told me you need to have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree to be a professor of history. He said he enjoys studying ancient Rome because it’s exciting, and there’s always something new.  He told me that the most important people from Rome were Caesar and Pompey. I learned that the Eastern Roman empire fell in 1453.  He said that what has changed the most in the study of ancient Rome is that there’s less focus on big names, and more focus on the average citizen. There’s also a growing interest in religion. He said some major problems facing Rome today is that pollution makes acid rain, and slowly destroys the statues. Another major problem is theft. He told me that Rome was so powerful because they had a strong military, strong alliances, and adaptability. Lastly, he said that Rome’s greatest contributions to life today is language, law, architecture, and religion.

Bibliography Connolly, Peter. Ancient Rome. Oxford, New York, 2001. PP. 1-end. Ellings, Jack.“Rome” Microsoft Encarta for Kids. Hibbert, Christopher. “Rome” Microsoft Encarta 2004. Malam, John. “Ancient Rome” World Book Encyclopedia, 1998. Soura, Philip. The Roman News. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hangley ndrew. Pp. 1-end. Walker, Montgomery Personal interview Dec. 15, 2005. Selah Library.

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