The construction of the Colosseum in Rome is finished. 

Queen Boudicca from the Iceni tribe led a revolt against the Romans in Britain. The revolt included burning down much of Londinium (London).

Mount Vesuvius, the volcano, erupted. The city of Pompeii is destroyed. It was covered in ash and lava.

A overview of the development of the Roman civilization, from its early periods of Kingdom and Republic to the development of its Empirical period. Particular focus is given to the invasion of Britain and the developments in and around the Trimontium fort in Scotland.
Why is the Roman Empire considered one of the largest and most influential in western history?  

This gold coin is called an "Aureus" and is made of gold. It commemorates an event in Emperor Trajan's Parthian war. In the event, he got the submission of Parthamasiris. Parthamasiris had claimed to be King of Armenia. Rome and Parthia fought over the area. The Romans saw this submission as Parthians accepting Rome's superiority. Coin found at Trimontium.
Can you see the Parthians in the coin? They wear pointy hats which are very different from Roman helmets.  Can you see the word "Rex", it means "King" in Latin. 

Gold aureus of Trajan, Rome, AD 114 - 117, found at Newstead. Struck in Rome, ref number RIC 310. This commemorates an event in Trajan's Parthian war when he received the submission of Parthamasiris who had claimed to be King of Armenia, an area that was contested between Rome and Parthia. The Romans saw this as the acceptance by the Parthians of Rome's superiority; Trajan went on to wage a military campaign against them. Image © National Museums Scotland

Aureus of Trajan (Coin), reverse.

Aureus of Trajan (Coin)

Trimontium Museum

Aureus of Trajan

Trajan Victory over Parthia

The Romans arrive in what is today Scotland in 80 CE. They build forts and camps and fight against the local tribes. They build Trimontium.  In the span of 100 years, they abandon the fort at least 3 times. They eventually leave the fort for good by 180 CE. Trimontium is the largest Roman fort in Scotland. 

The Romans build Trimontium

A great fire burned the city of Rome. The fire began in the merchant shops around the Circus Maximus. 
The fire lasted 9 days in total. Most of the city was destroyed.

Nero was the Emperor at the time. He blamed the devastation on the Christian community in Rome. This started the first persecution against the Christians in the Roman Empire.  Others blamed Nero himself for the fire. 

Today historians agree that the fire happened because Rome was extremely tightly packed.

The images are a head of Nero from the Glyptothek in Munich; and a painting called  "Fire of Rome" by Hubert Robert, 1785. Both images are Public Domain 

The Great Fire of Rome

Early Rome was ruled by a king.  According to legend, Romulus was the first king of Rome.  After Romulus, seven legendary kings ruled Rome until 509 BC.  One of the most famous kings of Rome was Numa Pompilius who was king after Romulus. He wrote books and established political and religious institutions.

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the last king of Rome and he was overthrown in 509BC. Rome then became a republic. Rome is now ruled by elected officials called senators and there is a constitution. 

End of the Roman Kingdom. The Republic begins. 

The Emperor Claudius directs the invasion of Britain with four legions. The Romans defeat the Catuvellauni, a local Celtic tribe from the south of today's England. Further conquests in Britain are organised expanding Roman control of the region. 

Emperor Claudius successfully invades Britain

The Romans faced trouble in the north. The Romans saw the local tribes as 'barbarians'. Some catastrophe happened and Trimontium and other forts are abandoned.  A few years later Emperor Hadrian ordered Roman soldiers to build a wall. The wall was 80 miles long. It was built to "separate the Romans from the Barbarians" and as a defensive structure.  The wall marked the edge of the Roman Empire. 

What do you think happened at Trimontium? Do you think the local tribes rebelled against the Romans? Or perhaps the Romans were called back to Italy to deal with problems in other places?  Or maybe the Romans found the Scottish weather too harsh? 

Hadrian's Wall is a UNESCO Heritage Site. 

Hadrian's Wall is built 

Constantine the Great was a Roman emperor. He changed the religion in Rome. Before, the Romans were Pagan, believing in many gods. They also sometimes accepted into their religion the gods of other peoples, like the Egyptian gods and the Celtic gods. Constantine made Christianity the main religion in the Roman Empire. He moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople. Constantine the Great was the first Christian Emperor of Rome.   

Marble bust of Constantine the Great at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET). Public Domain. 

Capital of the Roman Empire is moved

The Romans came back to Caledonia and tried to conquer the territory once again. 
They built another wall further north than Hadrian's Wall. This is the Antonine Wall.  It was ordered by Emperor Antoninus Pius, who was Emperor after Hadrian. 
The Antonine wall is made of stone and turf. It extends across the Midlands of Scotland, between the modern Edinburgh and near modern Glasgow.

Trimontium served as a supply fort during the construction of the Antonine Wall.  For a little while, it was the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire. It was protected by 16 forts and small fortlets. 

The soldiers who built the wall commemorated the construction with decorative slabs, like the one in the image. The wall was abandoned after only twenty years. 

The Antonine Wall is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Antonine Wall

The true reason of why the Romans abandoned Trimontium when they did is unknown. Was it the conflict with the indigenous people, the cost, or change of plans for Britain? We can only guess as to why in 180 CE, the Romans packed their things at Trimontium, and did not return.... at least not to stay for any length of time anymore. 

Whatever their reasons, every time the Romans abandoned Trimontium they left behind many valuable objects.  

Trimontium abandoned

Trimontium was lost for many centuries. It appeared in ancient writings but nobody could find where it was.  In 1846 works for the railway uncovered some Roman artefacts.  Between 1905 and 1910 excavations took place.  Dr James Curle was the leader of the excavations. He was a local solicitor, amateur archaeologist, collector and antiquarian.  Over 4000 objects were discovered. These include some of the most important Roman objects in Britain. 

Excavations at Trimontium

Rome was founded over 2700 years ago. According to legend, two brothers founded Rome. They were Romulus and Remus. Romulus was the son of Mars the god of war and of a princess of a legendary kingdom.  Romulus and Remus were raised by a wolf. The legend claims that they got into an argument. They argued over who would rule the city. Romulus killed Remus. Romulus named the city after himself. In another version, they argued over the location of the city. This story of the founding of Rome is the best known, but it is not the only one. 

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Photo: The Capitoline Wolf, Capitoline Museums, Rome. Public Domain.

Rome is Founded

The Emperor Septimius Severus and his sons led a military campaign in Britain.  Severus' sons were Caracalla and Geta. They fought the Caledonian tribes from 208 to 210 CE. 

They started strong with an army of about 40,000. It was the largest army ever to step on Caledonia.

The Romans re-used some earlier forts, including Trimontium. They also reached further north, into the Highlands. At this point, his army got stuck. The Caledonian tribes used guerrilla warfare tactics. These tactics proved difficult to the Romans. 

The Romans granted the Caledonians peace. But, it was uneasy. The Caledonians had to give up control of the Central Lowlands.

Supplies were short, and it was hard. So, the Caledonians revolted. Severus ordered his troops to stop them and many were killed. 

Severus then became ill. He retired south to Eboracum, now York, in England. His illness cut the campaign short. When he died, his sons had no interest in staying and the Romans soon left Caledonia for good. 

This image shows a portrait of Caracalla, eldest son of Septimius Severus.  Because of this tiny object,  found at Trimontium, we know that Severus' army was there.

Intaglio of Caracalla of red jasper and having a draped bust and facing left, from Newstead (Trimontium), Roxburghshire

Intaglio of Caracalla.png

Intaglio of Caracalla

Septimius Severus' campaign in Caledonia

The Roman Empire started after the Republic fell. This happened after Julius Caesar's death. A young man called Octavian became the first emperor of Rome. He was known as Augustus. Augustus expanded the Empire even more. His reign is known as one of peace and prosperity. He founded cities and supported education and the arts.

The End of the Republic

Julius Caesar was a famous Roman leader. He expanded the territory of Rome and won many battles.
Roman emperors who came after him also called themselves 'Caesar'.
Caesar created the Julian calendar, which is the basis for the calendar we use today!
He was a consul, which is the highest political office you could have at that time. He became a 'dictator' and was later named 'imperator', which meant Roman leader for the rest of his life. 

He invaded Gaul in 58 BCE and Britain twice in 55 and 54 BCE. He didn't establish permanent forts and left peacefully after the tribes agreed to pay tribute to Rome.

He was killed by political enemies in 44 BC, on the Ides of March (15 March).
A young man named Octavian was his heir and successor. Octavian became Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. 

Standards for Roman Civilization

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework