Words to Know:
VOCABULARY
ANCIENT Times long past, especially the period of history before the end of the western Roman
Empire.
AQUEDUCT A structure for carrying channels of water from a higher place to a city located in
a lower place.
AUGUSTUS (63 B.C–14 A.D.) He was named Octavian when he was born and was the adopted
son of Julius Caesar. He became Rome’s first emperor in 27 B.C. and was then called “Augustus.”
BARBARIAN A foreigner; a person not from the Roman empire. A savage or uncivilized person.
BYZANTINE EMPIRE The eastern Roman Empire came to be known as the “Byzantine Empire”
because its capital, Constantinople, was built where the Greek city of Byzantium once stood.
CAESAR, JULIUS (100–44 B.C.) One of ancient Rome’s greatest generals and political leaders.
He was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by fellow politicians.
CHARIOT Wheeled carriage pulled by horses used by Romans both for day-to-day transportation
and for racing.
CIRCUS A large oval-shaped track where Romans held chariot races. Two hundred thousand
people often attended the chariot races at the Circus Maximimus in Rome.
CITIZEN In Rome, a free person with the right to vote.
COLOSSEUM A huge oval shaped amphitheater used by Romans for gladiator fights. The
Colosseum in Rome held about 70,000 people.
CONSTANTINE THE GREAT (275–337 A.D.) The first Christian Roman Emperor who founded a new
Roman capital of Constantinople near the Black Sea. During his rule, the Christian religion
became legal in the Roman Empire.
CONSTANTINOPLE The capital of the eastern Roman Empire.
CRUCIFIXION A Roman punishment given to criminals in which they were either nailed or tied
to a wooden cross and left to die a slow death in public places for all to see.
EMPEROR The supreme ruler of an empire.
EMPIRE A state uniting many territories and peoples under one ruler.
FORUM The town center of Roman towns. These large, open squares were places where
government buildings were located and where people gathered to listen to speeches.
GLADIATORS Men who fought other men or animals in the colosseums for the pleasure of the
spectators. Most gladiators were slaves, criminals, or captives of war, although some were
paid performers.
HADRIAN (76 A.D–138 A.D.) One of Rome’s greatest emperors. He had a wall built all the way
across northern Britain.
ISTANBUL The Turkish city, today called Constantinople.
JUDEA A Roman province on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea in southern Palestine.
The Jewish people came from this land.
LATIN The language of the Romans.
MONOTHEISM Having only one god. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are monotheistic religions.
MOSAICS Floors or walls made from thousands of tiny pieces of stone, glass, or pottery that are
cemented together to make beautiful designs.
MYTHS Ancient legends about the gods and goddesses.
MYTHOLOGY The study of myths, or a book of myths.
PATRICIANS Upper class Romans.
PILATE, PONTIUS Roman governor of Judea from 26–36 A.D.
PLEBEIANS In ancient Rome, they were the common people.
POLYTHEISM Having many gods and goddesses. The Roman religion was polytheism
PROVINCE A territory governed by ancient Rome. A political division of a country. For example,
England was once the Roman province of Brittania.
REPUBLIC A nation that is governed by an assembly of citizens rather than by a king. Rome
was a republic during part of its history.
ROMULUS AND REMUS Twin brothers who, legend says, were nursed by a wolf. Romulus killed
Remus and founded the city of Rome in 753 B.C..
SACRIFICE The offering of something to a god or goddess. Romans usually made sacrifices of
live animals.
SENATE In ancient Rome, an assembly of elders who made laws. The Roman senate was elected
by citizens of free birth.
SENATOR A member of the Roman senate.
SLAVERY Slavery, in which one person owns another person, was common in the Roman
Empire. People captured in wars often were made into Roman slaves.
TOGA A white woolen robe worn by the upper classes of Rome.
TRIBUNE A Roman official whose job it was to protect the rights of the plebeians or common
people.
TRIUMPHAL ARCH A large monument in an arch shape, decorated with carvings, built in honor
of Roman military victories.
VILLA A large Roman house or a country house.
VOCABULARY
ANCIENT Times long past, especially the period of history before the end of the western Roman
Empire.
AQUEDUCT A structure for carrying channels of water from a higher place to a city located in
a lower place.
AUGUSTUS (63 B.C–14 A.D.) He was named Octavian when he was born and was the adopted
son of Julius Caesar. He became Rome’s first emperor in 27 B.C. and was then called “Augustus.”
BARBARIAN A foreigner; a person not from the Roman empire. A savage or uncivilized person.
BYZANTINE EMPIRE The eastern Roman Empire came to be known as the “Byzantine Empire”
because its capital, Constantinople, was built where the Greek city of Byzantium once stood.
CAESAR, JULIUS (100–44 B.C.) One of ancient Rome’s greatest generals and political leaders.
He was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by fellow politicians.
CHARIOT Wheeled carriage pulled by horses used by Romans both for day-to-day transportation
and for racing.
CIRCUS A large oval-shaped track where Romans held chariot races. Two hundred thousand
people often attended the chariot races at the Circus Maximimus in Rome.
CITIZEN In Rome, a free person with the right to vote.
COLOSSEUM A huge oval shaped amphitheater used by Romans for gladiator fights. The
Colosseum in Rome held about 70,000 people.
CONSTANTINE THE GREAT (275–337 A.D.) The first Christian Roman Emperor who founded a new
Roman capital of Constantinople near the Black Sea. During his rule, the Christian religion
became legal in the Roman Empire.
CONSTANTINOPLE The capital of the eastern Roman Empire.
CRUCIFIXION A Roman punishment given to criminals in which they were either nailed or tied
to a wooden cross and left to die a slow death in public places for all to see.
EMPEROR The supreme ruler of an empire.
EMPIRE A state uniting many territories and peoples under one ruler.
FORUM The town center of Roman towns. These large, open squares were places where
government buildings were located and where people gathered to listen to speeches.
GLADIATORS Men who fought other men or animals in the colosseums for the pleasure of the
spectators. Most gladiators were slaves, criminals, or captives of war, although some were
paid performers.
HADRIAN (76 A.D–138 A.D.) One of Rome’s greatest emperors. He had a wall built all the way
across northern Britain.
ISTANBUL The Turkish city, today called Constantinople.
JUDEA A Roman province on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea in southern Palestine.
The Jewish people came from this land.
LATIN The language of the Romans.
MONOTHEISM Having only one god. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are monotheistic religions.
MOSAICS Floors or walls made from thousands of tiny pieces of stone, glass, or pottery that are
cemented together to make beautiful designs.
MYTHS Ancient legends about the gods and goddesses.
MYTHOLOGY The study of myths, or a book of myths.
PATRICIANS Upper class Romans.
PILATE, PONTIUS Roman governor of Judea from 26–36 A.D.
PLEBEIANS In ancient Rome, they were the common people.
POLYTHEISM Having many gods and goddesses. The Roman religion was polytheism
PROVINCE A territory governed by ancient Rome. A political division of a country. For example,
England was once the Roman province of Brittania.
REPUBLIC A nation that is governed by an assembly of citizens rather than by a king. Rome
was a republic during part of its history.
ROMULUS AND REMUS Twin brothers who, legend says, were nursed by a wolf. Romulus killed
Remus and founded the city of Rome in 753 B.C..
SACRIFICE The offering of something to a god or goddess. Romans usually made sacrifices of
live animals.
SENATE In ancient Rome, an assembly of elders who made laws. The Roman senate was elected
by citizens of free birth.
SENATOR A member of the Roman senate.
SLAVERY Slavery, in which one person owns another person, was common in the Roman
Empire. People captured in wars often were made into Roman slaves.
TOGA A white woolen robe worn by the upper classes of Rome.
TRIBUNE A Roman official whose job it was to protect the rights of the plebeians or common
people.
TRIUMPHAL ARCH A large monument in an arch shape, decorated with carvings, built in honor
of Roman military victories.
VILLA A large Roman house or a country house.