WHO WERE THE ROMANS a new awan Hamas leader Asia wo thousand years ago the Romans were the most powerful nation in Europe and around the Mediterranean Sea About 60 million people lived in their empire The official language of all these people was Latin but they spoke their own languages as well such as Celtic and ancient Greek BRITANNA BELGICA The Roman Empire began when the tribe known as the Latins took over the city of Rome in Italy They began to conquer the lands around them and became known as the Romans Wherever they went they built towns and introduced Roman life AQUITANIA ITLANTIC OCEAN Roman This map right shows the Roman Empire about 1 800 years ago ISTANA coins BAETICA MAURETANIA CFASARIENSS TINGTANA SOME IMPORTANT DATES FROM ROMAN TIMES 800 400 BC 400 100 BC 100 BC 0 AD AD 1 100 753 Legend says Rome was founded by Romulus 264 241 First Punic War 58 49 Julius Caesar against the Carthaginians I conquers Gaul France and 218 201 Second Punic War I invades Britain 14 Emperor Augustus dies 43 The Romans conquer Britain 27 Augustus becomes Rome's first emperor Hannibal crosses the Alps by elephant to attack the Romans 149 146 Final Punic War Carthaginians defeated 79 Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupts and the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum are destroyed C a
GERMANILA INFERIOR GERMANIA SUPERIOR BLACK SEA RAEANORCUM NORICUM DACLA PANNONIA and MSOESIA INFERIOR FALPES POENIN ALPES COTTIA MOESLA SUPERIOR DANMATA INA PONTUS A CAPPADOCIA THRACIA MACEDON TALIA SYRIA RSICA EPIRIUS LYCIA AND PAMPHYLA CYPRUS SARDINIA CRETA ARABIA MEDITERRANEAN SEA CYRENAICA AD 100 200 AD 200 300 AD 300 400 AD 400 600 122 Emperor Hadrian rules Hadrian's Wall is begun in northern Britain 212 All free men are made 312 Emperor Constantine Roman citizens rules He chose Byzantium as 284 The Roman Empire is the new capital city divided into two parts east in the east and west and named it Constantinople S 367 Britain is attacked by barbarians 409 German armies attack Rome 476 The last Roman emperor is overthrown and the western empire
HOW DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE ROMANS as an SEvans answers are reason was an averawans are unaware etectives look for clues to help them solve crimes Archaeologists and historians call their clues to the past evidence We can find out about the Romans from three sorts of evidence the clues discovered by archaeologists buildings that are still standing today and Roman writings to ARCHAEOLOGICAL Archaeologists carefully excavate a Roman site above EVIDENCE This Roman mosaic below gives us information about how the Romans harvested grapes What do you think happens to the RE and made wine things you throw away When your trash can is emptied paper NS and foods rot away Materials such as fabric and wood take longer Materials such as glass and some metals never rot In the same way only some objects survive from Roman times Many of these objects were found in Roman garbage EIBEDROOREANE pits settlement sites or graves Archaeologists have to decide what all of this evidence means and what it tells them about Roman times These Roman shoes have survived because the leather they are made from has been preserved in wet
Aravananaswanawasa sweatured at an annual awareness arease ROMAN WRITING The Romans left us accounts of their wars plays poems recipe books and letters among other writings Only rarely do the original pieces of writing survive However we can still read Roman writings Stora because many of them were copied out by monks in the medieval period STANDING STRUCTURES In many places Roman buildings have The letter above has survived survived Sometimes we can see the from Roman times It was found at remains of whole towns such as Hadrian s Wall and is a birthday party Pompeii Italy This city was buried invitation It was written on a very thin under volcanic ash in AD 79 piece of wood see page 20 for more on Roman writing materials This building is the Colosseum in Rome a huge amphitheater built for gladiator fights and spectacular shows MIL IIIIIIIIIII
