Roman Towns

Roman towns consisted of buildings and temples that they used to worship their gods.

They built Towns, and then walls were built around the town to help protect the city and to help protect the people that lived there.

Inside the Towns

Inside the Roman towns were different buildings beside the temples, including homes, places to meet, workshops, bathhouses, shops, toilets, and even an amphitheater.

The towns were very large and designed so that the streets would cross the towns, and they would make different blocks, which were called insulae.

In the middle of the town was called a forum, and this was the place where people would set up shops or markets, and people would come together to trade.

Water

The Roman towns were very up to date, and many of these towns would have water that was running water and a sewage system.

The sewage system was running by aqueducts that were put along the bridges so that water could reach the towns.

Forum

The forum, or the marketplace, was considered the most important place in the whole Roman town because it was a place that people would come to shop, trade, and to have public meetings.

During these public meetings, people would call the local farmers and the traders so that they could make money to take care of their families.

Basilica

The court was in the basilica.

There was a town hall located here. This was found at one end of the forum, or marketplace and people would come here to give speeches and to talk about their political view.

Roman Towns Today

Some Roman towns are still here today, and many of them have the words “Chester,” “Caster,” or “cester,” in them such as Manchester, Gloucester, and Doncaster. These Roman towns still exist today.

London

Another Roman city was London. Originally this was called Londinium when the Romans invaded they built a fort by the River Thames.

In this town called Londinium, people would come from all over the area to trade with Britain.

Roman Buildings

The Romans used amazing architecture in their buildings.

They used columns, and then the triangular part of the front of a building, called pediments, was also very popular.

The Romans would add other ideas to their buildings; people considered them to be very good builders.

They would add things to the structure of the building to make sure that the building was strong and that it looked good.

Most of the Roman buildings had arches and domes.

Because of the way that the Romans built their buildings, they could make the buildings taller and larger than others.

Another famous building was the colosseum. This building was oval and was an amphitheater. The most famous one was called the Flavian Amphitheater.

This building could hold up to 80,000 people

It was important for gladiatorial contests, which were where people would come together to fight and to compete with each other.

Facts About Ancient Roman Towns:

The U.S. Capitol building is an example of a Roman building.
Concrete was used in Roman buildings because it was a strong material.
Many famous battles took place in Roman colosseums.
The building got used for entertainment purposes, and they would act out animal battles and other things from mythology.
Rich people would live in a Domus, which was a house that was one level and would be surrounded by a courtyard.
The Roman courtyard was called an atrium.
The atrium was a place where children would play, and many of them had pools after it would rain.
Roman buildings had floors made of mosaic stones.
Most people in Roman towns lived in the forest in wooden houses.
Some rich Romans lived in villas that had large farms and big homes.

What Did You Learn?

What were Roman towns? Roman towns were places that were built that had homes, temples, courtyards, workshops, toilets, and more.
What was interesting about the water in the Roman towns? The interesting thing about the water in the Roman towns was that the water was running.
What was the courtyard in a Roman town called? The courtyard was called an atrium.
What happened in an atrium? Inside the Roman atrium, children would play and swim in pools that were made when the rains came.
What kind of architecture was there in Roman towns? The Roman’s used nice architecture such as domes, arches, mosaics, and pediments.