Ancient Rome for Kids | Learn all about the History of the Roman Empire for Kids

Ancient Rome. Take a minute to think about the city where you live. Can you imagine how it has changed in the past hundred years? Are there pictures of what it used to look like? What's different? The streets? Houses? Cars? The clothing people are wearing? Now, can you imagine what different cities looked like thousands of years ago? In this video, we're going to take a look back at a place that you've probably heard of. That place is Rome. Rome is the capital of Italy. Maybe you've heard of all the yummy food in Rome or about some of the beautiful architecture, statues, and art. But just like your city and cities all around the world, Rome has changed over many years. Let's travel back in time and learn what ancient Rome was like. Over 2,000 years ago, Rome began as a small town along the Tiber River in central Italy. The river gave the Romans a source of water as well as a way for them to travel to other places nearby. The city was purposely built on seven hills, which protected the people from their enemies. Over time, Rome grew into an empire. An empire is a group of countries that are ruled by an emperor or empress, which is like a king or queen. Eventually, the Roman Empire included many European countries. Rome was first a republic, which means that the people of Rome voted for leaders who made their laws. These leaders were called representatives. Most of these representatives came from families that owned land and were very rich. All male citizens could vote, but only wealthy males could become representatives. Rome's government was made up of three groups. One of the groups ran the government, another group made the laws, and a third group acted as judges. The United States government is also made up of three groups just like Rome had. Other countries used Rome as an example of how to rule and run their countries, but along with Rome's success, they also had some difficulties. As Rome got bigger, the rich citizens got richer, while the poor people got poorer. The rich spent large sums of money on homes, gardens, slaves, and luxuries. They held banquets that lasted for hours with lavish expensive foods, while most people in Rome barely had enough to eat. Most of the city's population didn't even have jobs. The only thing they had to eat was the little bit of grain the government gave them each day. There were thousands of poor people who were captured and forced to work as slaves on huge properties that were owned by many of Rome's wealthiest citizens. The poor people became frustrated and were not happy with how they were being treated. Another group of unhappy citizens were farmers who had once been soldiers. They could not compete with the wealthy citizens who owned a lot more land than they did, so they eventually lost their jobs and became homeless. Two brothers named Tiberius and Gaius worked for the government. Their job was to represent the poor people of Rome. They tried to help fix some of the problems by suggesting possible improvements. But instead of listening to them, some of the people in the government got angry with the brothers and killed them. After the brothers were killed, a war between Roman citizens broke out. One of Rome's most famous leaders was named Julius Caesar. He was a Roman general and a governor. Julius Caesar used his power to become a dictator, which means he had complete control over the people. Caesar began to make some improvements. He let many people who lived near Rome become citizens of Rome. He helped the poor by creating more jobs. He started colonies where people without land could own property. And he increased pay for soldiers. Some of the wealthy citizens and government representatives got nervous because Caesar was having a lot of success and was becoming very popular. They worried that the people would stop listening to them and only listen to Caesar. So, they had Caesar murdered. After Caesar was killed, another war broke out between the Roman citizens. This war destroyed what was left of the Roman Republic. Rome then went from a republic form of government to an empire. That meant it was ruled by an emperor or a king. Julius Caesar had an adopted son named Octavian. At only eighteen years old, Octavian became the first emperor of Rome. He changed his name to Augustus, which meant exalted one. For forty years, Augustus ruled successfully and he helped make Rome wealthier. Trade increased and his army kept things peaceful for a period of two hundred years. Rome made great progress during this time. Many concepts of Roman law are still practiced in the U.S. and other places around the world. One of these laws is that a person is innocent until proven guilty. This means we don't assume or guess that someone is guilty of a crime. We give them a chance to defend themselves before a judge. Ancient Romans were polytheistic, meaning they believed in multiple gods and goddesses. These gods were beings that were immoral and ruled heaven, earth, and the underworld. Some examples of these gods and goddesses include Jupiter, who was the father of the gods, his wife, Juno, who was known as the queen of the gods and a protector of women, and Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, arts, and war. Romans were expected to honor different gods and goddesses in private and public ceremonies. Worship of the emperor also became part of Rome's official religion. Eventually, the practice of a new religion called Christianity slowly emerged in the empire. Some of the early followers of Christianity were treated very badly and suffered a lot of hardships for their beliefs. But Christianity endured and spread throughout the empire. Some entertainment the people of Rome enjoyed were musical and theatrical performances and chariot races. Gladiator fights were also a popular form of entertainment. For hundreds of years, people came to large arenas to watch men and sometimes women fight each other. Gladiators were often slaves or people who had committed crimes. They were chosen to fight if they were healthy and strong. Sometimes people willingly signed up to fight. Gladiators who won were treated like celebrities. Some men even went to school to learn how to become gladiators. The winners sometimes won prize money as well as the glory of being called a gladiator. They fought until one of the gladiators was badly wounded. Occasionally, one of them died. Sometimes gladiators even fought animals. The Colosseum that still stands in Rome, Italy today is an example of an arena where gladiators fought. The Roman Empire eventually collapsed. In many ways, the empire grew too large and they lost countries one by one. Though the ancient Roman Empire no longer exists, Rome's influence can still be found throughout the world. Thanks for following Clarendon Learning. Be sure to subscribe. For more free resources, check us out at clarendonlearning.org.