Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire

Download or read book Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire written by Michael Kerrigan and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire tells the enthralling story of how an insignificant settlement came to be a pre-eminent metropolis, and how a tribe of impoverished shepherds came to rule the world. Having learned to fight for their very survival, the Romans were soon waging war as a way of life: before long, all of Italy was under their command. Across Western Europe, North Africa and the Near East, the legions carried Roman culture wherever they went, building roads and cities and establishing law and order. Yet alongside the civic dignity, the awesome engineering achievements and stunning works of art, a more sinister side of Roman culture could be seen in the arena at the Colosseum, where gladiators fought to the death. Whatever its flaws, the world the Romans built seemed strong and stable enough to last for ever: in the end, though, the eternal city would prove all too mortal. It was another unlikely race of shepherds - nomadic tribesmen far out on the Central Asian steppe - which set in motion the cataclysmic sequence of events that led to Rome's decline and fall. As this fascinating history shows, the legacy the Romans left behind them would live on to influence just about