Table Of ContentH
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Essential E
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Did you know writing began in ancient Mesopotamia? That the first computer was A
created in ancient Greece? Or that the compass was invented in ancient China? Ancient
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times still echo in the present. Travel through time and learn more about these
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once-great Ancient Civilizations. Explore major historical developments, cultural and I
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scientific contributions, and the continuing impact of these past civilizations. Dig deeper
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into the daily lives of ancient peoples. Discover what they believed in and what they
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fought for. Learn how the world of today is built on the legacies of the past.
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BOOKS IN THIS SET O
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Ancient Aztecs Ancient India
Ancient China Ancient Maya E
Ancient Egypt Ancient Mesopotamia
Ancient Greece Ancient Rome
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ANCIENT
ROME
BY SUSAN E. HAMEN
Essential Library
An Imprint of Abdo Publishing | www.abdopublishing.com
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ANCIENT
ROME
SUSAN E. HAMEN
CONTENT CONSULTANT
Thomas Keith, Lecturer
Department of Classical Studies
Loyola University Chicago
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ANCIENT
ROME
BY SUSAN E. HAMEN
CONTENT CONSULTANT
Thomas Keith, Lecturer
Department of Classical Studies
Loyola University Chicago
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www.abdopublishing.com
Published by Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439.
Copyright © 2015 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Essential Library™ is a trademark and logo of Abdo Publishing.
Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota
102014
012015
Cover Photos: Vladimir Korostyshevskiy/Shutterstock Images, foreground; iStock/
Thinkstock, background
Interior Photos: iStock/Thinkstock, 3, 10; Shutterstock Images, 6–7, 37, 45, 55, 89 (left); Lebrecht
Music and Arts Photo Library/Alamy, 14–15; DIZ Muenchen GmbH, Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo/
Alamy, 19; Hoberman Collection/Corbis, 21; Asier Villafranca/Shutterstock Images, 23; Alfredo Cerra/
Shutterstock Images, 25; S. Borisov/Shutterstock Images, 28–29; Dorling Kindersley/Thinkstock, 31,
51, 85; North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy, 36; Marco Cristofori/Alamy, 38–39; Red Line Editorial, 46,
77; iStockphoto, 52–53, 61, 62–63, 80–81; Reinhard Dirscherl/Alamy, 54; Antony McAulay/Shutterstock
Images, 69; Chad Matthew Carlson/Shutterstock Images, 70–71; Marco Secchi/Alamy, 79; Jeffrey B.
Banke/Shutterstock Images, 89 (right); Viacheslav Lopatin/Shutterstock Images, 90–91, 97; Daniel M.
Silva/Shutterstock Images, 95
Editor: Rebecca Rowell
Series Designer: Jake Nordby
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014943874
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hamen, Susan E.
Ancient Rome / Susan E. Hamen.
p. cm. -- (Ancient civilizations)
ISBN 978-1-62403-542-5 (lib. bdg.)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Rome--Civilization--Juvenile literature. 2. Rome--History--Juvenile literature. 3. Rome--Social life
and customs--Juvenile literature. I. Title.
937--dc23
2014943874
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CONTENTS
A Mighty Empire
CHAPTER 1 6
Humble Beginnings
CHAPTER 2 14
The Government and Economy
CHAPTER 3 28
Daily Life
CHAPTER 4 38
Architecture and Art
CHAPTER 5 52
Gods and Goddesses
CHAPTER 6 62
Builders and Craftsmen
CHAPTER 7 70
Might of the Legions
CHAPTER 8 80
The Legacy of Rome
CHAPTER 9 90
TIMELINE 98
ANCIENT HISTORY 100
GLOSSARY 102
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 104
SOURCE NOTES 106
INDEX 110
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 112
ABOUT THE CONSULTANT 112
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CHAPTER 1
A MIGHTY
EMPIRE
In March 44 BCE, a young Roman man named
Octavian learned his great uncle, the mighty Gaius
Julius Caesar, had been murdered. Caesar had been
a general in the Roman army before becoming a
statesman, an authority figure in Roman politics, and
then head of the government. Along the way, Caesar
had made enemies.
The Pantheon has survived the centuries
to become a popular tourist attraction.
7
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BETRAYAL AND ASSASSINATION
The ruling body of Rome, the Senate, did not care for the tactics Caesar used
to gain political power with his allies Crassus and Pompey. After the death
of Pompey in 48 BCE, Caesar became the most powerful man in Rome. Some
senators feared he would use his power to crown himself king. They plotted
to assassinate Caesar. His murder prompted a series of civil wars within
Rome. The Roman Republic started unraveling.
The Assassination of Julius Caesar
The assassination of Julius Caesar has become with Cimber began attacking and stabbing Caesar.
legendary, inspiring playwright William Shakespeare Brutus, a Roman politician and Caesar’s friend,
to recount the man’s life and death in the play Julius was among them, which prompted Shakespeare’s
Caesar. On the Ides of March (March 15 according to famous line uttered by the dying Caesar, “Et tu,
the Roman calendar) in 44 BCE, Caesar made his way Brute?” which is Latin for “You too, Brutus?”1
to the Theatre of Pompey for a meeting of the Senate.
With 23 stab wounds, Caesar bled to death on
There, conspirators confronted him, including Tillius
the Senate floor. The assassins marched to the
Cimber, who presented Caesar with a petition to allow
city’s capitol, rejoicing and announcing that the
his exiled brother to return to Rome. When Caesar
city was once again free. The citizens of Rome,
declined, Cimber grabbed him. Another conspirator,
however, remained in their homes and did not
Casca, attacked Caesar with a sharpened writing
join in the revelry. The assassination of Caesar
instrument called a stylus. Immediately, all the men
brought about years of civil war and unrest.
8
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