Ancient Rome: Home

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew from a small town on central Italy's Tiber River into an empire that at its peak encompassed most of Europe and large swathes of Africa. Ancient Rome left a lasting legacy long after its fall, and influences a lot of our life today. Click through the tabs above and the resources below to learn more about Ancient Rome and the legacy it left behind.

Aqueduct: a manmade channel used for delivering water to Roman towns. Public fountains and baths made water available to everyone. Wealthy Romans had running water in their homes.

Barbarian: a term used by the Romans to refer to people who lived outside the Roman Empire.

Censor: a government official who counted the people of Rome. He also was responsible for public morality and some of the government finances.

Century: a division of the Roman army made up of 80 soldiers and led by a centurion.

Circus: a large oval shaped stadium used for chariot races.

Citizen: a Roman citizen had certain rights and privileges including the right to vote. Only freeborn men were fully Roman citizens.

Cohort: a cohort was a division of the Roman army. It was made up of six centuries or 480 men. There were 10 cohorts in a Roman legion.

Consul: the highest position in the Roman government. There were two consuls elected each year for a one year term.

Dictator: a ruler that has absolute power.

Dynasty: when a family passes down the leadership of a country from generation to generation.

Emperor: the leader of an empire. The first emperor of Rome was Augustus.

Forum: the area of a Roman town that was the centre of Roman life. Government meetings, public speeches, and business all took place in the forum.

Fresco: a painting made on a freshly plastered wall. The paint would be absorbed into the plaster as it dried.

Gaul: what the Romans called the lands to the north and west of Italy.

Gladiator: a person who fought for the entertainment of Roman audiences. Gladiators sometimes fought to the death.

Gladius: a short sword used by Roman soldiers.

Legion: the main unit of the Roman army. It generally had around 5400 soldiers and was divided up into groups of men called cohorts and centuries.

Mosaic: a type of art using small tiles made of glass or stone to create a picture.

Orator: a talented public speaker. This was an important skill for Roman leaders.

Paterfamilias: the man who was leader of the Roman family. He had complete power over his wife and children.

Patrician: a member of the original elite land-owning families of Rome.

Plebeian: a common person or person not of the patrician class.

Praetor: a high ranking official in the Roman government.

Province: an area of the Roman empire that was outside Italy.

Quaestor: an official of the Roman government who supervised various financial affairs.

Republic: a country where the government is run by elected officials rather than by a king or emperor.

Rhetoric: the art of public speaking used to inform, motivate, or persuade an audience.

Senate: a group of prestigious men who advised the consuls. In most cases the consuls did what the Senate recommended.

Tribune: an elected representative of the Plebeian Council. Tribunes could veto laws made by the Senate.

Toga: a long robe worn by Roman citizens. It was generally white with colour markings for high ranking officials.