Romans Who Were the Romans? When Did the Romans Invade Britain?

Romans Who were the Romans? The ancient Roman civilisation began in 753 BC when King Romulus founded the city of Rome (naming it after himself). Over the next thousand years, this small city grew into a large empire. The ancient Romans became one of the most influential civilisations in history, conquering areas in Europe, Africa and Asia. A map showing the reach of the Roman Empire When did the Romans invade Britain? Julius Caesar first invaded Britain in 55 BC. There were several battles between the Roman army and the Celtic tribes who lived in Britain at the time, but the Romans didn’t have a large enough army and they retreated. The following year, Julius Caesar attacked Britain again with a larger army. They still didn’t defeat the Celts but the Romans promised to leave Britain if the Celts paid tribute to Rome. It wasn’t until Emperor Claudius invaded for a third time nearly a hundred years later in 43 AD that the Romans finally conquered Britain. Battles continued for several years afterwards but eventually the Romans gained control and Britain became part of the Roman Empire. Statue in London of Boudica, queen of the Iceni tribe, who famously fought against the Roman invaders. What made the Romans so powerful? The Romans had a very well organised army which allowed them to conquer other countries. The Roman army was one of the most successful armies in history and far more advanced than any other army at the time. The Roman army had much more advanced weapons and armour than other armies of the time What did the Romans eat? Romans generally ate foods they could grow, rear or catch. Poorer Romans would eat vegetables and grains, only having meat occasionally when they could afford it (or catch it for themselves). Richer Romans had a much wider variety of foods and ate meat regularly. The Romans ate three meals a day. They had breakfast (which they called ientaculum), lunch (which they called prandium) and their main meal in the evening (which they called cena). The ancient Romans ate a varied diet of grains, vegetables, fruits, eggs and meat. How did the Romans keep clean? The Romans built communal bath houses for people to bathe in. Bathing was important in ancient Rome, both for keeping clean and as a social activity. People would go to the bathhouses to socialise and relax, as well as to keep clean. Historic Roman communal baths in Bath, England. What did the Romans invent? The Romans had much more advanced technology than many other civilisations at the time. They developed many things that had been used before and made them better, such as sewers, aqueducts and roads, but they also invented lots of new things, many of which we still use today: Top 5 Roman inventions: • Concrete was invented by the Romans to help make their buildings stronger and easier to build. It is thanks to Roman concrete that so many of Rome’s most famous buildings are still standing today, such as the Colosseum. • Newspapers were first invented by the Romans around the year 131 BC. The first newspapers were written on metal or stone and posted in public areas for people to read. They were called Acta Diurna, which means ‘daily acts’. • Books were invented by Romans too. Before this, everything was written on clay tablets or scrolls. The Romans were the first to bind pages together. • The calendar that we use today is based very closely on one that was developed by the Romans. The Julian calendar (named after Julius Caesar who developed it) split the year into twelve month, giving each month a name, such as Augustus, September or Julius. • Central heating was invented by the Romans to keep houses warm in the winter. This central heating system was called hypocaustum. It involved circulating hot air through hollowed floors and walls. The invention of concrete by the Romans meant that ancient Roman buildings, like the Colosseum, still stand today. Why did the Roman Empire end? Lots of different factors caused the downfall of Rome. With such a large empire to rule, it became difficult to manage all the different territories and communicate from one place to another. There were also lots of threats from the Huns, barbarians and many other tribes. The army became weaker until eventually, the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was defeated and replaced by a Germanic prince called Odovacar. The Roman Empire, which had existed for 500 years, was over. (https://planbee.com/blogs/news/romans-facts-for-ks2-children-and-teachers) .

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