Who were the Romans?
- The Roman Empire lasted from 700BC to AD476.
- The empire was huge and stretched across Europe, North Africa and Asia.
- Rome grew from a town into an enormous capital.
- There were enslaved people and citizens in the Roman Empire.
Watch: Who were the Roman Emperors?
The emperor ruled over the Roman Empire, a bit like a king.
Find out below about some of the emperors who influenced Britain.
Find out about the Roman Emperors.
Excuse me! Yes, you! Ever wondered about how the Roman Emperors changed Britain? Great! You can help us rate how impressive they were.
First up, Julius Caesar.
He wasn鈥檛 actually an emperor 鈥 he was just a really powerful Roman who started the Empire.
He was a great Roman general, a very popular leader and he was a bit of a show off. He tried to invade Britain twice but failed.
Things didn鈥檛 end happily for him, when some people in Rome thought he was getting too big for his boots 鈥 I mean sandals 鈥 they killed him in 44BC.
How impressive was that show off?
Nine! A good start. Next!
Meet Caligula who ruled from AD37 to 41 and was famous for being crazy and cruel.
Rumoured to have made his horse, Incitatus , the head of government and a priest.
He made an attempt to invade Britain, but instead declared war on the English Channel and ordered his soldiers to gather sea shells from the beach.
How do we rate that?
A ten! Well I suppose he was impressively bizarre. Next!
Meet Claudius, the man who finally conquered Britain in AD43. To celebrate he rode an elephant through Colchester.
Now what do we think about that as an impressive entrance?
Another ten, fantastic. Next!
Meet Nero, another Emperor who was known for being a bit crazy.
He was too busy staging musicals back in Rome to visit troublesome Britannia.
During his reign, Queen Boudicca famously led an unsuccessful rebellion against the Romans in Britain.
So, is it a zero for the absent Nero?
No it鈥檚 five. Next!
A bit later came Hadrian who ruled Britain from AD117 to 138. He of course built Hadrian鈥檚 Wall to prevent invaders from the North.
A nine. Fantastic.
That wall is pretty impressive. Well, there we are, a taster of British Roman history in a matter of minutes.
So which emperor impressed you the most?
Oh, I鈥檒l leave them to convince you.
Who ruled Rome?
In the early days, Rome was ruled by kings. Romulus was supposedly the first king.
Rome later became a republic. The republic didn鈥檛 allow one person to have complete control of the city.
A group of men called senators shared power. The two most powerful people in the senate were the consuls.
Every year, the citizens of the Roman Republic voted for who they wanted to be consul.
How did Rome begin?
The Romans had a story about how their city began.
According to legend, Rome was founded by twin brothers, Romulus and Remus.
As babies, the boys were left to drown in the River Tiber, but they were rescued by a wolf.
When the boys were older, they decided to start a new city.
One day, the twins got in a fight. Remus was killed and Romulus named the new city 'Roma after himself!
Roman gods and goddesses
The Romans had lots of different gods and goddesses. There were gods for almost everything, like thunder, love, war, wisdom and even the sewer in Rome.
The Romans were always trying to keep on the good side of their gods. They made offerings at temples and shrines to make them happy.
Activities
Activity 1: What did Romans do with their spare time?
Click on the Romans below to find out what activities they did.
Activity 2: Quiz 鈥 Introduction to Ancient Rome
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