How Rome got it's name

Legend tells us of the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. Their father's wicked brother set the two babies afloat on the river Tiber hoping that they would drown. They were washed ashore and a she-wolf found them. She fed them as if they were her own cubs. One evening a shepherd found them and brought them home. Romulus and Remus stayed with the shepherd until they grew into young men. After many exciting adventures they returned home and killed their wicked uncle. Romulus and Remus decided to build a city on the River Tiber. They could not decide where to build the city. Eventually Romulus began to build the walls around a hill. It looked very small and Remus began to laugh and make fun of his brother. Romulus became so angry and in a terrible rage he threw a rock at his brother and killed him. Romulus continued to build the city . It took him a long time but eventually it was done and he decided to call it Rome. 

Life in Ancient Rome

• You were brought to school by a slave.
• You put live toads under your arm to stop a nose bleed.
• Dirt and rubbish are thrown out of windows into the street.
• Clocks use water to tell the time.
• Ink is made from soot.
• Romans have no soap so you scrape yourself down with a wooden scraper.
• In school you use an abacus to add and subtract.
• You write with a stylus.

Houses

In large houses all the rooms were built around an open courtyard. There are bedrooms, the altar where the family pray, a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom and a small library. There are also rooms where slaves stay. The huge front door is locked at night by the head slave and is guarded by a great dog.

Roman Engineers

The Romans were very clever engineers. They built fine roads leading from Rome to every part of the Empire. One of the most famous roads is the Via Appia which ran from Rome to Taranto in the South of Italy.

The engineers also built bridges and aqueducts. Aqueducts were stone channels which carried water to cities and towns. Under the city of Rome they built drains which were used for hundreds of years afterwards.

To learn more about the Romans visit the BBC education Website.