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How many years ago do you think the
Roman race began? Have a guess!
 Archaeological evidence suggests that there were early
signs of human habitation at Rome circa (around) 1500
B.C.
 First permanent settlement (shown by graves) at Rome
was founded in circa 1000 B.C.
 BUT – Rome as a single community didn’t fully form
until about the mid-8th century B.C. (750 B.C.)
 So the Roman race began nearly 3000 years ago!
 1500 B.C. – Early signs of human habitation
 1000 B.C. – Signs of permanent human settlement
 800 - 750 B.C. – Separate villages combine to become one – Rome!
 753 B.C. – Romulus (founder of city of Rome) becomes Rome’s first king.
 753 B.C. – 509 B.C. – Rome is a monarchy (kingdom) and is ruled by 7 different
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kings over this period 0f time
509 B.C. – 450 B.C. – Rome transforms from a monarchy into a Republic (citystate)
91 B.C. – Social War (Rome and Rome’s allies fight each other)
89 B.C. – Civil War (Rome fighting itself) starts and continues pretty much until…
31 B.C. – Battle of Actium. Octavian (important guy) defeats Anthony and
Cleopatra. Octavian rules Rome, which becomes a Principate.
27 B.C. – Because Octavian has sole control of the entire Roman world, he decides
he needs a more awesome name – and so becomes Emperor Augustus!
Many emperors follow after Augustus
326 A.D. – Emperor Constantine the Great begins making Christianity the official
religion of the Roman Empire
395 A.D. – The Roman Empire divides into two empires: eastern and western
Early 5th century (c. 400 A.D.) – Rome falls
 What contributions do you think the Romans might
have made to the world?
Calendar:
 The Julian calendar we use today, with 365 days in a year, is
based on the one developed by Julius Caesar
 The names of several months have Roman origins
Roads:
 The Romans are well-known for building straight, wellsurfaced roads, a skill not equalled in Britain until the 19th
century
 In Britain, several main roads such as the A1 (London to
Scotland) or the A5 (London to North Wales) follow
ancient Roman routes
 The Old Kent Road is built on the remains of an ancient
Roman road
Buildings:
 The Romans made many advances within engineering and architecture
 Roman use of arches and domes led to aqueducts and the Pantheon in
Rome
 Many Roman buildings are still standing today, which shows how well
they are built
Places and place names:
 Several British cities were founded by the Romans, such as
London and Chester
 The names of some places derive from their original Roman
name, for example the name “London” came from the
Roman name Londinium
 The word “chester” derives from the Latin word castrum,
meaning “camp” or “fort”. There is a town called Chester,
but can you think of any more British towns and cities that
contain the word “chester”?
Language:
 Latin has influenced the way certain languages such as
French, Spanish, Italian and English have developed
 All British coins have a Latin inscription
 Many English words derive from Latin and we often
use Latin words in everyday speech e.g. versus, et
cetera, exit, omnibus, fiat
Literature:
 Many stories, plays, poems and histories have survived
from the Roman period. Probably the most famous is
Virgil’s Aeneid.
 What do you think is the most important contribution
that the Romans have made to the world? Why?
 Discuss in pairs for 2 minutes
Now you can either:
 Create a poster OR write a song or poem (in any style) titled “The
most important contribution of the ancient Romans”
 You should describe the legacy of the Romans and inform people about
the influence of the ancient Romans on the world.
Just a minute!
Speak for 1 MINUTE ONLY about the contributions that
the Romans made to the world.
If the person speaking REPEATS a word/phrase, PAUSES
(by either hesitating or using “er”, “um”, “ah” etc.) or
makes a MISTAKE, say “BUZZ!” and then you take over.