Page 29 - A History of the World in 25 Cities

Hadrian became emperor in 117 CE, when the empire was the biggest it would ever be. The vast empire was difficult to control –
Hadrian gave up some of it and built defences to protect what was left, including Hadrian’s
Wall in northern Britain to keep the fearsome Caledonians (modern-
day Scots) at bay.
As well as the many gods the Romans borrowed from the Greeks, there were gods of the household and all sorts of others, from a god of doorways to a goddess of sewers. Roman life was full of festivals, rituals and sacrifices because there were so many gods to keep happy. The winter festival honouring the god Saturn involved presents and feasts, a bit like Christmas, and masters and their servants swapped roles for a day. As well as festivals, there were many rituals, including animal sacrifices, after which priests would look at the animal’s insides to predict the future.
The Roman Empire split into two halves in the 300s, the eastern half ruled from Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). Rome was attacked and defeated by invading tribes in the 400s, and much of it fell into ruin for centuries.
Rome relied on its population of enslaved workers, who might have been captured by the army or have been born into slavery. Enslaved people had a wide variety of jobs, as accountants, shop assistants, teachers, household servants and lots more. Some were gladiators, who fought to the death in the Colosseum – the successful ones became famous, and sometimes free men and women fought as gladiators hoping for fame and fortune. Enslaved people could be freed by their masters, and sometimes they earned enough money to buy their freedom.
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Population of Rome in 100s:
Population of Rome today:
25