Fun Facts of Ancient Rome for kids

by Savita Pillay Italy Visa

Exploring the beautiful medieval city of Rome is a wonderful hobby among locals and tourists. The rich Roman heritage speaks volumes about the great empires that have ruled Rome in some capacity. Rome was known anciently for its horse chariot races and medieval buildings, but this gorgeous Italian capital city is much more than just that. Let's take you through some fun facts about Ancient Rome for kids that will help you cover Rome things to do during your Italy vacation with your little ones. Then, get in touch with the right travel partner who can mentor you in explaining to you the entire process of how to apply for an Italy visa and guide you through the entire visa journey with ease.

What do we know about Rome?

Rome is Italy's capital city, with a population of 2.6+ million. Rome has caught the imagination of several tourists worldwide with its popular historical attractions such as the Colosseum, the Vatican City, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, and Sistine Chapel, Pantheon, Arch of Constantine, and National Etruscan Museum.

Origins of ancient Rome

If stories and prophecies are true, Rome was discovered by two twin brothers named Romulus and Remus, who were abandoned immediately after their birth. They encountered a she-wolf on the Tiber River banks who took them and raised them. The two twins eventually grew up to find a city. But the moment power came into existence, the two brothers argued about who would be the reigning power. Remus was executed by his twin brother, Romulus, which led to him being the first reigning emperor of Rome. Rome got its name from his name.

Rome is named the Eternal City as it has been continuously inhabited for an enormous 2,500+ years. Ancient Rome was founded by its first king, Romulus, and started as a small village. Rome is, in fact, one of the oldest medieval cities globally. In 509 BC, the foundation of the Roman Republic led to the building of roads, a strong army, and their infamous leader, Julius Caesar.

The Roman Empire

The Roman Republic emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, leading to a civil war and eventually forming the new Roman Republic, later known as the mighty Roman Empire. Rome was anciently one of the most powerful empires of all time, where it expanded its powers across Western Asia, Northern Africa, and Southern Europe. The Empire spread its colossal power so that it had to be broken into two halves – the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire.

The Roman Emperors

Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of Rome who ruled Rome from 27 BC to 14 AD, which also coincided with the Roman Empire reaching its peak. Emperor Constantine reigned from 280 AD to 337 AD and was instrumental in converting Rome to Christianity in 313 AD. The last Emperor, Romulus Augustus, was in power from 475 AD to 476 AD. One of the shortest reigns as the ancient city was attacked, and this reign was overthrown. During the entire reign of the mighty Roman Empire, they had a strong military force with over 300,000 soldiers and 28 legions.

Sources of fresh water

The Mediterranean Sea was donned by the mighty Roman Empire. This gave Romans easy access to fresh water used for public baths, trade, and Roman bath houses. Tiber River was another source of fresh water for trade and transportation.

Urine was used to washing clothes.

Urine has a high concentration of ammonia, a very powerful bleaching agent. Therefore, contents from the Men's public urinals were collected daily and brought to the laundries for washing clothes.

The fall of the Roman Empire

Ever since the decline of the mighty Roman Empire, Rome never saw a stable reign in its history. Rome was sacked four times. First by the Visigoths and secondly by the Goths in the same year, 410 AD. Thirdly, by the Vandals in 455 AD. Finally, the fourth time by the Normans in 1084 AD. The final attack eventually led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.

The ancient Roman gods and goddesses

The ancient Romans had several gods and goddesses worshipped with great vigor and belief. Each god and goddess they worshipped had a specialty, i.e., Venus was worshipped if there was a love problem, and Janus was worshipped when you wanted a change in your life. The emperors eventually became gods, and they also imported gods from other countries.

Ancient Rome was underground.

This would be surprising, but ancient Rome was developed and incorporated much below street level. One of the key reasons why the ancient ruins are much lower than the normal street level. The modern city has piled up modern infrastructure over the years. Exploring the features of the underground site is among the best Rome things to do.

Dinner was consumed lying down on couches.

If you were ever invited to a party hosted in ancient Rome, you would be guided to a room lined up with couches only without any chairs or tables. Props were used on the left arms, and the right arms were used to bring food to their mouth. Try to convince your parents to try this out even though it would be tough convincing them.

Hills of Rome

Rome is perched on seven hills namely Capitoline, Caelian, Esquiline, Palatine, Aventine, Viminal, and Quirinal. The past Roman emperors made their palaces on these hills. In fact, Capitoline hill houses some of the most historically important buildings, like the Capitoline Museum. The oldest ruins of Rome, including the Palace of Domitian, are perched on Palatine hill. The Aventine hill is blessed with some sweeping city views, including the popular St. Peter's Basilica. Finally, the Caelian hill displays sweeping views of the Baths of Caracalla, among the most prominent landmarks of ancient Rome. 

Roman architecture

The Colosseum is among the iconic landmarks in Rome that were built between 70-80 AD. It had a seating capacity of 50,000+ people and was mainly used for witnessing gladiator fights, animal hunts, and public executions. 

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Created on Aug 19th 2022 10:04. Viewed 154 times.

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