Roman Research

Gladiators

1. Gladiators were professional fighters in ancient Rome that fought against each other, animals, and criminals.
2. The first gladiator fight took place in Rome in 264 BCE.
3. The gladiatorial games were popular in the empire, especially in Greece.
4. The games were carefully planned by an organizer on behalf of the emperor.
5. The evening before the game there was a banquet for the gladiators.
6. During the fight musicians played music altering their tempo to match the combat style.
7. During gladiator fights it was preferred for the gladiators not to die.
8. Gladiators had to go through years of intense training.
9. As with modern sports the crowd tended to support “sides”.
10. Gladiators were instructed to inflict non-lethal damage so the opponent could live a rather successful life and buy his freedom after three years.

Punic Wars

1. The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage.
2. The main cause of the Punic war was the clash of interests between the Carthage Empire and the Roman Republic.
3. The two powerful armies were fighting over Sicily.
4. At the end of the war Rome's forces were powerful enough to prevent the amphibious invasion of Italy.
5. According to Polybius there were seven trade agreements between Rome and Carthage.
6. Rome secured eight thousand prisoners of war without ransom.
7. The second Punic war is mostly remembered for Carthaginian's crossing of the Alps.
8. Hannibal never received any significant reinforcements from Carthage.
9. The third Punic War involved an extended siege of Carthage.
10. With no army Carthage suffered raids from its neighbor Numidia.

Augustus Caesar

1. Augustus Caesar was the first emperor of Rome.
2. He ruled from twenty seven BC to fourteen AD.
3. Young Octavian was adopted by his great uncle Julius Caesar.
4. He was born in Rome on September twenty-third 63 BC.
5. Since Rome was so crowded at the time Augustus lived with his father in the village of Velitrae.
6. Caesar was killed on the ides of March (march fifteenth).
7. Caesar adopted his great-nephew Octavius as his son and heir.
8. Caesar was granted the command of his troops.
9. In twenty-seven BC Caesar returned to full power in the roman senate.
10. Augustus was ill in twenty three BC.

Mark Antony

1. Supporter of Julius Caesar as a military commander and administrator.
2. Antony formed an official political alliance with Octavian, Marcus Aemilius, and Lepidus.
3. The political alliance was known as the second Triumvirate.
4. The triumvirate broke up in thirty three BC.
5. The triumvirate broke up because there was a disagreement between Octavian and Antony witch erupted in civil war.
6. In fifty four BC Antony became a member of the staff of Caesars armies.
7. When Caesar became Dictator, Antony was made master of the horse.
8. Cleopatra lent Antony money for his army.
9. When Antony died Octavian became uncontested ruler of Rome.
10. When Octavian died in fourteen AD he passed his political powers to his adopted son Tiberius.

Marcus Aurelius

1. He was the last of the “five good emperors”.
2. Marcus died on March seventeenth one hundred eighty.
3. Marcus became an emperor at the age of forty years old.
4. Marcus was an intelligent, serious, and hard working boy in his youth.
5. Marcus accepted the throne when Antoninus Pius died.
6. Under his reign the status of Christian remained the same since the time of the Trajan.
7. Marcus was one of the greatest emperors in roman history.
8. Marcus ruled from one hundred sixty one AD to one hundred eighty AD.
9. Marcus was raised in a wealthy and politically prominent family.
10. Marcus was crowned emperor on march seventh one hundred sixty one AD.

Colosseum

1. The Colosseum is located in the center of Rome.
2. The construction started between seventy AD and seventy two AD and ended in eighty AD.
3. The Colosseum is capable of seating fifty thousand people.
4. The Colosseum is not in ruined condition due to earthquakes.
5. Construction began on the Colosseum under rule of the emperor Vespasian.
6. The Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows.
7. The Colosseum today is a major tourist collection.
8. The Colosseum was an entirely free standing building.
9. The base of the Colosseum was six acres.
10. There were four section of seating in the Colosseum.

Pompeii

1. Pompeii is a buried and ruined Roman city.
2. It was destroyed and completely buried from the eruption of a volcano.
3. Pompeii was buried under meters of hot ash and pumice.
4. The ruins of Pompeii are located near present day Pompei.
5. Pompeii remained faithful to Rome during the second Punic war.
6. At the time of the eruption the town could have had twenty thousand people in it.
7. At the time of the eruption Pompeii had reached their high point in society.
8. On February fifth sixty two AD here was a severe earth quake which did considerable damage around the bay and particular to Pompeii.
9. After thick layers of ash covered two towns, they were abandoned and eventually their names and locations were forgotten.
10. Both of these towns have been excavated to reveal many intact buildings and paintings.

Arch of Hadrian

1. A monumental gateway representing a roman triumphal arch
2. The arch is located three hundred and twenty five meters away from the Acropolis
3. The entire monument is built from pentelic marble
4. Archaeologists think there were three statues on the top of the lower level
5. There are two inscriptions on the arch's lower level
6. On the north east side the inscription was “This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus”
7. On the southeast side the inscription read “this is the city of Hadrian, and not of Theseus”
8. The arch is still preserved to its full height
9. It is not certain who commissioned the arch, but it is possible that a citizen of Athens or another Greek group responsible for its design
10. The marble used for the arch is lower grade then that used in the best Athenian buildings.