Lesson 20:The Ancient Romans

Level: U
DRA: 44
Genre:
Informational Text
Strategy:
Visualize
Skill:
Main Ideas and Details
Word Count: 2,005
6.4.20
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
1032844
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN
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By Amy S. Jones
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Address inquiries to School Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116.
Printed in China
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02769-2
ISBN-10: 0-547-02769-9
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Table of Contents
Introduction
...................................3
Chapter 1
All Roads Lead to Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 2
Bringing Water into Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 3
Roman Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 4
From Rome to Ben Franklin . . . . . . . . . . 15
Glossary
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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Introduction
Stand over your kitchen sink and watch the water go
down the drain. Then thank the ancient Romans. They made
one of the world’s first sewer systems. That may not sound like
a big deal. But what would your life be like without one?
Other signs of ancient Rome are all around us. Many of
our bridges and buildings were made in the Roman style. The
Romans also built huge sports arenas. These buildings had as
many seats as today’s sports stadiums. In this book, you’ll learn
more about the amazing things the ancient Romans did.
The ancient Romans built many bridges.
an arch
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Chapter 1
All Roads Lead to Rome
The city of Rome was the
center of the Roman Empire.
Politics and trade took place
in this busy city. Rome was
also the center of the Roman
road network. Think about our
Interstate Highway System.
You can use it to go from one
side of our country to the
Picture all the
Roman roads as
one long road.
This one road
would go around
the world twice!
other. It makes travel much
faster. The Romans built a
highway system, too. It was more than 50,000 miles long. These
roads went out of Rome, in straight lines and in all directions.
In ancient times, people said that “All roads lead to Rome.”
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The Roman army built the roads. At first, the roads were
only a few miles long. But as the Roman Empire grew, the
roads grew, too. Every time the Romans conquered a new
place, they built a road from that city to Rome. This way,
leaders in Rome could better control the empire’s outlying
areas.
Trade on Roman Roads
Romans also used their roads for trade. They still moved
most trade goods by water, though. The Romans used the roads
to carry goods just for short distances.
Plus, the roads did not connect the outlying areas to each
other. Roman leaders did not want to encourage trade among
different areas. They wanted people to trade only with Rome.
Signs along the roads did not say how far it was to other towns.
The signs only said how far it was to Rome.
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Roadside Rest Stops
Roman roads had rest stops every 15–20 miles. In those
days, people traveled in four ways. Some walked or rode
horses. Others rode in carts pulled by oxen. People also rode in
chariots pulled by horses. Most rest stops had a chariot “service
station.” Mechanics stood by to fix broken chariots. Tired
horses and oxen could eat hay and drink fresh water.
The rest stops offered nice features for travelers. Modern
scientists salvage, or find, many objects when they dig at these
ancient sites. Their findings prove that people in the past ate
meals at nice restaurants. Fossil imprints, or marks, and old
bones show that the people ate chicken
and pork. Side dishes were bread, rice, and
fruit. Tired travelers could spend the night
at a nice hotel.
Roman Raceways
The Roman roads would have been
fun for modern car drivers! The roads
were made of flat stones and were straight.
Roman engineers knew that the shortest
distance between two places is a straight
line. They wanted travel on their roads to
be quick and easy.
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The roads went straight, even when they came to water or
mountains. The Romans built bridges to go over water. They
dug tunnels through mountains, so the roads wouldn’t have
to curve. For a meager, or small, fee, messengers carried letters
from one side of the empire to the other. It took just a few days.
This great road system had a downside, too. Rome’s
enemies also used these roads. Their armies marched on the
roads, which took the enemy soldiers right into Rome.
Some Roman roads still exist today. This road is in England.
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Chapter 2
Bringing Water into Rome
The Romans did more
than just build roads. They
also found a clever way to
bring water into Rome. They
built miles of aqueducts.
An aqueduct is a waterway.
Romans used aqueducts
to bring fresh water from
mountains and rivers to
people’s homes.
The Romans
supplied water to
about 200 cities.
One of these cities
was Rome. At the
time, Rome had
about 1 million
people!
Much of Rome’s water
system was underground.
First, the Romans dug channels, or paths for water, through
dirt and rock. Then they put pipes in. Did you ever go down a
water slide? Gravity pulls the water down the slide — and you
come with it! The engineers who designed the channels knew
about gravity, too. They built the channels at angles. This way
gravity pulled the water through the pipes and kept it flowing.
The Aqueducts
Sometimes the Romans couldn’t dig channels
underground. In low valleys the aqueducts had to be above
ground. In these places, the Romans built special aqueducts.
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Some of Rome’s water system had arched aqueducts.
The Romans built arches out of stone and brick. The arches
held up the aqueducts that were above ground. Building arches
in place of a solid wall saved money. Arches also made the
aqueducts look beautiful.
This ancient water system is now dormant, or inactive. Yet,
many aqueducts still stand today. You can find them in Italy, as
well as Greece, France, and Spain.
Aqueducts in the United States
Three big aqueducts bring water to New York City.
They carry water from 120 miles away. California has
the biggest aqueduct system in the world.
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Roman Baths
The Romans had clean water, and they knew how to use it!
An important part of Roman culture was taking a bath. Many
Romans took a bath every
day. Most homes did not have
bathtubs, though. Instead,
people went to a public
bath. Rome had almost 900
public bathhouses. They were
opulent, or fancy, buildings.
They had statues, mosaics,
and gardens.
Taking a bath was a
slow, luxurious process. First,
Ancient Romans
didn’t use soap.
Instead, they put
oil all over their
body. Then, they
used a special
tool to scrape the
oil off their skin.
bathers sat in a warm, steamfilled room. Underground
fires warmed the stone floors.
Second, the people took a series of baths. They soaked in a
pool of very hot water. Then, they went to the next pool. Each
pool was cooler than the one before it. In the last pool, bathers
subjected themselves to an ice-cold bath!
Public baths also served as a meeting place for people.
After taking their baths, Romans spent hours in the library or
garden. They could watch acrobats or jugglers. They could get
a haircut or a massage. They enjoyed food and drinks as they
talked with their friends.
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Today, Roman bathhouses are very popular
tourist attractions.
Bathhouse Rules
Men and women often had separate bathhouses.
If they had to share one, they took baths at
different times.
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Chapter 3
Roman Architecture
The ancient Romans are
also famous for their style of
architecture. Their buildings
were both practical and
beautiful. Their buildings
were also very strong. Many
of them still stand today.
Some are thousands of
years old.
Many Roman buildings
had arches or columns. A
strong material was needed
to build them. So, the Romans
Arches and columns
in the Roman style
can be seen in
the United States
today. One example
is the Washington
Square Arch in New
York City. Another
is the Supreme
Court building in
Washington, D.C.
invented concrete. Some
people think concrete was
Rome’s greatest gift to the rest
of the world.
The Romans used arches on their aqueducts. Many Roman
bridges also had arches. Concrete arches made the bridges very
strong. As a result, bridges could be very long.
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The Colosseum
The ancient Romans built the Colosseum. It is one of
the most famous buildings in the world. The Colosseum was
four stories tall. It seated a large number of people. Romans
watched live shows there. These shows usually had gladiators
and wild animals.
The Colosseum had 80 doorways. It took just five minutes
for everyone to leave the building! The Colosseum had a
unique design. Some experts claim that everyone had a great
view of the action — no matter where they sat.
Today, most of the Colosseum is gone. Strong earthquake
tremors destroyed much of it. Over time, people took pieces
of the debris. What is left is still impressive. It stands as a
monument to the ancient Romans who built it long ago.
Gladiators performed in the Colosseum.
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The Roman Forum
In ancient Rome, a forum was an outdoor market where
people could buy and sell goods. It was a place to meet friends
and share news. It was also where Rome’s finest buildings were
on display. Rome had several forums around the city.
The most famous one is the Roman Forum. It was located
in the middle of Rome. It was the center of politics and trade.
The Roman Forum was a busy place. Its ruins are another
impressive display of Roman architecture.
columns
arch
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Chapter 4
From Rome to Ben Franklin
The Roman Empire gave another gift to the world — its
form of government. Rome was a representative democracy.
This means that Romans voted for leaders to act for them. In
this way, many Romans had a say in the government. This is
the same kind of government the United States has today.
Roots of American Democracy
Polybius (poh LEE bee uhs) lived in ancient Greece. But he
studied the Romans. He wrote 40 books about them. One of his
books told why Rome’s government worked so well.
Many years later, Benjamin Franklin read that book.
Franklin lived in the 1700s. He was very interested in what
Polybius had to say. Rome’s government was divided into three
branches. It used a system of checks and balances. This system
made sure that one branch could not get too powerful. Today,
we use this system in the United States.
Franklin sent each of the Founding Fathers a copy of
Polybius’s book. (The Founding Fathers decided on our system
of government.) They were impressed with the book. They
used it to write the U.S. Constitution in 1789. They made the
U.S. government like that of ancient Rome. So, think of the
Romans next time an election takes place!
The Roman Forum has many arches and columns.
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The Legacy of the Romans
The ancient Romans lived more than two thousand
years ago. But they made many contributions to the world.
The Romans still influence us today. Very few countries are
unaffected by the Romans. These ancient people were both
practical and creative. They left behind a lasting legacy. How
would the world be different without the ancient Romans?
The Twelve Tables
The Romans organized their laws into 12 sections.
They called these sections “The Twelve Tables.” The
Twelve Tables hung in the Roman Forum so people could
read them easily. Here are a few of the Roman laws:
• If it’s your tree, it’s your fruit — even if it falls on your
neighbor’s land.
• If a person sings a song that insults someone else, that
person will be killed.
• A judge who takes money for making a decision will be
put to death.
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Contributions of the Ancient Romans
Architecture and Engineering
•
•
•
•
aqueducts
arches
bridges
columns
• concrete
• public baths
• road network
Art and Literature
• mosaics
• mythology
• poetry
• realistic sculpture
Government and Law
•
•
•
•
representative democracy
system of checks and balances
three-branch division of government
the Twelve Tables (Rome’s first written laws)
We still remember the
Romans today.
Stones on a Roman road
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Glossary
aqueduct (AWK wuh dukt) n. a human-made channel
for moving water
architecture (AWR kih tek chur) n. the way buildings are
designed and built
engineering (ehn juh NEER eeng) n. the science of
designing and planning buildings
forum (FOH ruhm) n. a public marketplace in ancient
Roman cities
gladiator (GLAD ee ayt ur) n. a fighter in ancient Rome
mosaics (moh ZAY iks) n. pictures made from colored
pieces of stone or glass
republic (ree PUHB lik) n. a form of government in
which citizens vote for their leaders
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Responding
TARGET SKILL Main Ideas and Details
What did the ancient Romans contribute to
the world? Copy the chart below. Then add
supporting details.
Main Idea:
The ancient Romans made lasting achievements.
Supporting Detail:
?
Supporting Detail:
?
Write About It
Text to Self Write a paragraph that explains
which Roman achievement you think is most
important. Use details from the book to support
your ideas.
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TARGET VOCABULARY
dormant
outlying
imprints
salvage
luxurious
subjected
meager
tremors
opulent
unaffected
TARGET SKILL Main Ideas and Details Identify
a topic’s important ideas and supporting details.
TARGET STRATEGY Visualize Use text details to
form pictures in your mind of what you are reading.
GENRE Informational Text gives facts and examples
about a topic.
Write About It
In a famous quotation, Aung San Suu Kyi said,
“Please use your freedom to promote ours.”
What freedoms do you value most? Why? Write
a letter to the editor of a Burmese newspaper
explaining the freedoms you have and why they
are important to you.
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Level: U
DRA: 44
Genre:
Informational Text
Strategy:
Visualize
Skill:
Main Ideas and Details
Word Count: 2,005
6.4.20
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
1032844
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN
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