northern group called the Gauls took
over the city. They would not leave until
the Romans paid them a large amount
of gold. Another group called the Samnites
defeated the Romans in 321 BC. In
general, however, Rome’s conquests
could not be stopped. By 275 BC Rome
had forced the Greeks to give up their
colonies in Italy.
By 260 BC Rome’s last remaining rival in
the western Mediterranean was the city
of Carthage, in North Africa. For more
The ancient Romans created many designs
called mosaics out of tiny tiles. The ones
that survived show what everyday life was
like in ancient Rome.
The Appian
Way was a
famous
ancient Roman
road. It went
to southern
Italy and was
paved with
stone blocks. It
was about
360 miles
(580 kilometers)
long.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Rome, Ancient 89
than a century the Romans fought
Carthage for power. It took three wars—
called the PunicWars—before the
Roman forces totally destroyed Carthage
in 146 BC.
Rome then turned to other areas,
including Sicily, Spain, Macedonia,
Greece, and Asia Minor (now Turkey).
Governors called proconsuls managed
most of the conquered lands. They had
great power. The Romans taxed the conquered
people heavily. They also
enslaved many conquered people.
Empire
In about 133 BC Rome entered a period
of unrest and civil war. Peoples in Italy
rebelled against Rome’s strict rule in 90
BC. During 73–71 BC a gladiator, or
professional fighter, named Spartacus led
an army of runaway slaves in a war
against Rome. Rome defeated both of
these rebellions.
Meanwhile, Rome continued to expand
its empire. The most successful general
was Julius Caesar. He won victories in
far-off areas and then took power in
Rome. However, his enemies assassinated
him in 44 BC. This set off another
period of civil war.
Peace finally came under the leadership
of Julius Caesar’s grandnephew Octavian.
Octavian defeated his rivals for
power, including the Roman general
Mark Antony and the Egyptian queen
Cleopatra, by 30 BC. He was crowned
Rome’s first emperor in 27 BC. He
became known as Augustus Caesar.
Two centuries of peace and progress
followed. The empire’s frontiers
expanded all the way to Britain and the
Arabian Peninsula. The Romans built
roads, bridges, and aqueducts, or water
pipes, throughout their vast empire.
They also brought their laws to conquered
lands.
The emperor Tiberius ruled from AD 14
to 37. During this time the Roman government
in Palestine put Jesus to death.
Some of Jesus’ followers, called Christians,
later set up a community in
Rome. At first the Romans did not agree
with the Christian religion. They mistreated
and killed many Christians. But
in AD 312 the emperor Constantine I
became a Christian himself. Christianity
eventually became the main religion of
the Roman Empire.
Downfall
By this time, the empire was weakening.
Constantine believed he could
The Colosseum was completed in AD 82. It
was the scene of many public gatherings
almost 2,000 years ago. Much of it still
stands in the city of Rome.
90 Rome, Ancient BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
strengthen the empire if he moved its
center away from Rome. In 330 he created
a new capital in the Greek colony
of Byzantium. He renamed the city
Constantinople.
After the death of the emperor Theodosius
I in 395, the Roman Empire split in
two. The Eastern Roman Empire was
based in Constantinople. The Western
Roman Empire was based in Rome.
Several groups of outside peoples,
including the Vandals and the Huns,
attacked the western empire. A group
called the Visigoths attacked the city of
Rome in 410. The last western emperor
fell in 476. This brought an end to the
Western Roman Empire. The eastern
empire continued as the Byzantine
Empire until 1453.
#More to explore
Augustus • Byzantine Empire • Caesar,
Julius • Carthage • Christianity
• Empire • Greece, Ancient • Rome
Roosevelt,
Eleanor
Eleanor Roosevelt was married to Franklin
D. Roosevelt, who was president of
the United States from 1933 to 1945.
She was widely respected for her many
activities as first lady. Later she worked
at the United Nations helping people
around the world.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on
October 11, 1884, in New York City.
She grew up in a wealthy family that
valued community service. Eleanor was
the niece of Theodore Roosevelt, the
26th president of the United States. In
1905 she married Franklin Roosevelt,
her distant cousin.
DuringWorldWar I (1914–18) Eleanor
worked for the Red Cross. Later she
taught at a girls’ school that she partly
owned. In the 1920s Eleanor became
active in politics.
Franklin D. Roosevelt became president
in 1933. He had a disability that made it
hard for him to travel. Eleanor crisscrossed
the country in his place. She
talked to people from all walks of life
and reported back to the president. She
defended the rights of African Americans,
youth, women, and the poor.
During the 1930s the United States was
struggling through the Great Depression.
President Roosevelt tried to end
the country’s economic problems with a
group of government programs called
the New Deal. Eleanor organized a New
Eleanor Roosevelt
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Roosevelt, Eleanor 91
