All About

S Quick P

Description

This book, filled with amazing facts and photographs, describes what life was like for Ancient Romans. It gives an in-depth account of all aspects of life and people of the time - including sections about the Kingdom of Rome, the Republic of Rome, the Roman Empire, everyday life, the Roman army, and much more! The 'All About' series is an educational collection of books from P S Quick, and is targeted to interest 7 to 11 year olds - but will fascinate readers of all ages. At the end of each book there is a quiz section for the reader, featuring 150 questions and answers.

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 05 mars 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783331659
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Title Page
ALL ABOUT
REMARKABLE ROMANS
P S Quick



Publisher Information
Published in 2013 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
The right of P S Quick to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
Copyright © 2013 P S Quick
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Picture Credits:
Romulus and Remus courtesy of Giovanni Dall’Orto
Roman woman in stola courtesy of Giovanni Dall’Orto




Introduction
This book, filled with amazing facts and photographs, describes what life was like for Ancient Romans. It gives an in-depth account of all aspects of life and people of the time – including sections about the Kingdom of Rome, the Republic of Rome, the Roman Empire, everyday life, the Roman army, and much more!
The ‘All About’ series is an educational collection of books from P S Quick, and is targeted to interest 7 to 11 year olds - but will fascinate readers of all ages. At the end of each book there is a quiz section for the reader, featuring 150 questions and answers.



The Kingdom of Rome
The Eternal City
One of the most famous legends in world history is about the city of Rome. The legend tells how Romulus and Remus, the sons of the god Mars, were thrown into the River Tiber by a wicked uncle hoping that they would drown.
It is said that the babies were rescued by a wolf who fed them with her own milk. The babies grew up and were eventually found by a shepherd called Faustulus.


Romulus and Remus
When they became adults their father, Mars, told them to build a city but they could not agree which hill to build it upon. Each boy began to build his own city within a protective wall but when Remus made fun of his brother’s wall Romulus killed him.
According to the legend Romulus became the first king of Rome in 753 BC.
Using evidence from artefacts, archaeologists and historians now agree that people lived in the city of Rome many years before this. Rome was known as the ‘Eternal City’ because civilizations had lived there for thousands of years. The Roman people thought that whatever happened to the rest of the world Rome would last forever.
Rome was first a settlement for farmers and shepherds but later became a powerful city-state, the centre of the Roman Empire and the capital of Italy.
The location of Rome is one of the main reasons why it became such an important city. Rome is built upon the banks of the River Tiber and was the perfect place for people to cross when travelling along the road from northern to southern Italy.
The River Tiber is very shallow near Rome and forms a ford making it easy to cross. There is also a large island in the middle of the river. The river itself provided an easy way to travel to the sea. A road known as the Appian Way, which ran from the east to west coasts of Italy, linked the main ports with Rome.


The River Tiber in Rome
Rome was protected from invaders by the seven hills that surround it. The tops of these hills were a perfect place to see any unwanted visitors. Archaeologists believe that there were walled cities on each of these hills.
Wood and stone was readily available for building and the fertile land surrounding Rome provided food for the city. The River Tiber provided fresh water for drinking and also for washing. Valuable deposits of salt could also be found nearby.
The Seven Kings of Rome
For a long time Rome’s powerful neighbours, the Etruscans, controlled the city of Rome. It is said that Rome was ruled as a kingdom for about 200 years. Legend states that there were seven kings of Rome but we have no definite evidence to prove this.
The first king of Rome was said to be Romulus and the last king was Tarquin the Proud who ruled until 509 BC when he was overthrown.
Tarquin was a very cruel king and did not treat his people fairly. The people of Rome hated their king and drove him out of Rome. He returned with the Etruscan army, almost succeeding in crossing the unguarded bridge into Rome.
The legend of Horatius, a young Roman soldier, tells how he saw Tarquin returning and rushed to stop him while his friends cut the cords of the bridge to destroy it.
As the bridge collapsed Horatius dived into the river and swam safely to the bank. The Etruscan army, thinking this was a message from the gods, turned back. With Tarquin banished from Rome the people decided they would never be ruled by a king again. They created a new form of government that was ruled by the people of Rome.



The Republic of Rome
Government
Once the last king had been driven out, Rome became a republic. This period lasted for about 500 years.
The two most important people in the republic were the consuls who were chosen by an assembly for just one year.
The republic was ruled by a senate, a group of rich people called senators. Rome had many wealthy noble families who were known as patricians. It was from these families that the 300 members of the senate were chosen. They were not elected but once chosen sat in the senate for life.
The poorer people of Rome, such as merchants, craftsmen and farmers were known as plebeians. They had refused to fight for Rome unless they were able to vote for their own leaders.
As long as they were not slaves or women people could become citizens and vote in the assembly. The plebeians chose small groups of people called tribunes to attend the senate meetings that were held in the Forum. If enough of them did not agree with a law they would shout out ‘Veto’ [I forbid it] and the law would not be passed.


The Forum of Rome
About fifty years later the old laws were written down, organised into twelve sections. They were known as ‘The Twelve Tables’ and engraved upon metal tablets which were displayed in the Roman Forum for everyone to see. It did not matter if you were rich or poor because the rules applied to everyone.
The idea that all citizens should have a vote has influenced the way the western world governs its countries today. The British legal system, in which someone is tried by a jury after committing an offence, and innocent until proved guilty, dates back to the time when Rome was a republic.
American government has copied Roman ideas. America has two parts to its government - the Senate and the House of Representatives. The U.S. Bill of Rights is also based upon the Twelve Tables of Rome.
The Punic Wars
The Roman army was important not only for protecting Rome from invasion but also for helping to make Rome rich by stealing the possessions of the countries defeated. The army was led by generals but they often fought against each other.
The Romans fought three wars against Carthage, a city in northern Africa. The wars were called the ‘Punic Wars’ because the Roman name for the Carthaginians was Punicus.
In 264 BC Carthage controlled three islands which were just off the coast of Italy. The largest Island, Sicily, was very rich so the Romans attacked it hoping to gain control themselves. However, the Carthaginian navy was much more powerful and the Romans were only used to fighting on land.
Soon the Romans had not only built up a large navy but also invented the Corvus. This was a kind of bridge with a spike on the end. When it was dropped on the enemy ship the spike pierced the deck and the Roman soldiers were able to quickly cross onto the Carthaginian ship.


Hannibal’s route in the Punic Wars
The war lasted for twenty three years because the Carthaginians would not give up the island and refused to become part of the republic of Rome. Many people were killed but in 241 BC the Romans took control of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica.
The second Punic War lasted from 218 BC to 201 BC. Hannibal was the general who led the Carthaginian army at this time. He surprised the Romans by crossing from Spain through the Pyrenees and Alps into northern Italy. He marched his army, which included elephants and horses, through Italy.
Although he was a brilliant general and won some battles against the Romans, people in Italy would not help him by joining his army or giving him food.
The Romans heard that Hannibal was coming to attack them so they sent half of their army to fight Hannibal and the other half to Spain to attack the silver mines that provided Hannibal with the money to pay his soldiers.
The Romans also attacked Carthage, Hannibal’s home in northern Africa. Hannibal had to return to protect his own country. At the final battle of this war in Zama, which was near Carthage, the Roman General Scipio finally defeated Hannibal.


General Hannibal
Hannibal spent the rest of his life fighting the Romans but they never caught him. When he was 64 and realised that he might be caught he killed himself by swallowing poison kept in a ring that he wore on his finger.
The third Punic war lasted three years and took place between 149 BC and 146 BC. The Romans, worried that Carthage might once again try to attack them, decided to destroy the city completely.
The Romans had also been fighting other countries at this time. In the same year as they conquered Carthage they also took control of Greece and destroyed the city of Corinth.