2.  Rome was founded when villages on eight hills merged  Rome is situated on the River Tiber  Rome expanded and eventually conquered all of Italy  The Roman Empire stretched from Turkey to South America and even into North Africa

3.  This is a Roman amphitheatre  This is where the Romans went to watch plays  The most famous of these was called the Colloseum

4.  This is called a canal  Romans used this to transport water to their towns  In these we see examples of Roman arches.

5.  Wealthy Romans were called patricians and they lived in private houses  Private houses were known as domes  The atrium was an open courtyard  The peristylum was a dressing room  These houses were decorated with frescoes and mosaics  They also had central heating sometimes

6.  Poor people were called plebeians  They often lived in flats called insulae  These were always very well built and safe as they were made of stone and timber  Some families rented shops at the bottom  The insulae had running water but no toilets

7.  The mother and father had equal power  Roman children were expected to obey their father as long as he lived  Mothers ran the household or worked if they were poor  Roman girls were free to chose who they married  Romans tended to have big families

8.  The poor ate a lot of foods made from wheat and barley.  The poor sometimes ate from take-away shops.  The Emperor gave them free wine to keep them happy. It was called the dole.  The rich Romans enjoyed a main meal called a cena. It had only one course.  They ate with their hands and the main course often included seven meat dishes.  The atrium was used to get sick so they could eat more.

10.  Only the rich went to school.  At age seven children started in primary school.  Boys and girls went on to a grammar school.  At grammar school they learned about history, philosophy and literature.

11.  Gladiator contests were held in a building called an atrium. The most famous of these is the Colloseum.  Gladiators were slaves or criminals who fought for their lives against other gladiators or wild animals.  Wounded gladiators could appeal to the emperor for their lives. Thumbs up meant death and thumbs down meant life.

13.  Chariot races were held in a circus. The Circus Maximus is the most famous example of a circus.  Four teams would race each other around the track seven times.  Crashes happened quite often, but the Romans felt that this took away from the sport.

14.  There were over 1,000 bathhouses in Ancient Rome.  Most Romans went to the baths every day.  Romans did not speak to each other at the baths out of embarrassment.

15.  Rich people did not work at all.  Architects and doctors came from the educated middle classes.  All the poor Romans could do was beg.

16.  Roman soldiers were given their uniform and food for free.  They trained hard in running, javelin-throwing and sword fighting.  Discipline was very strict. Soldiers were beaten for disobedience.

17.  Frescoes were paintings done on dry plaster. They were found in many homes.  Mosaics were pictures made from pieces of tile.  The Romans built some structures using concrete.  They used columns, domes and pointed arches in their buildings.

18.  When a Roman died they were carried in procession through the town.  Sometimes they were followed by paid mourners.  The bodies were always buried.  Mourning lasted for three days