Ancient Rome

by Hannah

Do you know all about the ancient city of Rome? The ancient Romans had a lot of influence on the civilizations that followed. The Roman government had a very unusual beginning. The citizenry was divided into three classes, and this is one of the reasons why the Roman government evolved over time.

The ancient city of Rome had a unique beginning.  Legend has it that twin baby brothers Romulus and Remus had been abandoned near the serpentine Tiber River in Italy. Luckily they were found and nursed by a mother wolf. Later they were raised by a friendly traveling   shepherd. When they had grown up they decided to build a city in memory of the wolf that had saved them. Half way through, the brothers began to quarrel over territory and kingship.  In the end Romulus, who became irate, ruthlessly killed Remus, and became the first king of the new and inspiring city. Rome was founded.

Roman society, which was vast, was divided into several classes. There were two main groups, patricians and plebeians.  Patricians were the richest and most esteemed people. Plebeians were ordinary poor folk. Most non-citizens were slaves. Only the citizens were allowed to vote and fight in the royal armies. At first, Plebeians were forbidden to marry Patricians. Unfortunately, if someone was born a plebeian he would stay a plebeian forever, even if he labored his entire life. As the government gradually changed, slaves could buy freedom. The division between the classes became indefinite.

The Roman government advanced through three stages. There were seven kings before the Roman Republic, which began in 510 B.C. The republic consisted of a senate and two councils. In 559 B.C. Julius Caesar was elected to be a consul. While he was helped by his throng of followers, he cleverly overthrew the senate, and started a one man rule. He was murdered by members of the senate in 44 B.C. After him there came a range of emperors, each one more powerful than the next. Some were even considered gods until the fall of Rome in 476 A.D. 

The Roman government started off strangely. The government changed as time wore on, partly because of the division of the citizens. The ancient Roman government has influenced the United States government, even though Rome fell over 1500 years ago.