Back to Ancient Rome for Kids The city of Rome was the capital city of the civilization of Ancient Rome. It was located near the west coast of central Italy. Today, Rome is the capital of the country of Italy. The city started out small, but grew as the empire grew. At one point there were over 1 million people living in the city during ancient times. The city was center of power in the world for over 1000 years. Roman Roads Many major Roman roads led into the city of Rome. The Latin name for road was Via and the major roads leading into Rome included the Via Appia, the Via Aurelia, the Via Cassia, and the Via Salaria. Inside the city itself there were also many paved streets. Water Water was brought into the city by the use of several aqueducts. Some of the wealthy had running water in their houses while the rest of the people got their water from fountains placed around the city. There were also many public bath houses that were used to bathe and to socialize. Founding of Rome Roman Mythology has it that Rome was founded by the half-god twins Romulus and Remus on April 21, 753 BC. Romulus killed Remus to become the first King of Rome and the city was named after him. The Seven Hills The city of Ancient Rome was built on seven hills: Aventine Hill, Caelian Hill, Capitoline Hill, Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Quirinal Hill, Viminal Hill. It is said that the original city was founded by Romulus on Palatine Hill. The Forum At the center of the city and Roman public life was the Forum. This was a rectangular plaza surrounded by public buildings such as temples of the gods and basilicas where commerce and other public functions could take place. Many of the city's major events took place in the forum such as elections, public speeches, trials, and triumphal processions.  Many important buildings were in or around the forum. Some of these included:
Other Buildings The center of Rome had many other famous and important buildings like the Temple of Jupiter, the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, the Pantheon, and Pompey's Theatre. 
Dome of the Pantheon Many of the main government buildings and the homes of the rich were constructed of stone, concrete, and marble. However, homes of the poor were made from wood. These homes caused a considerable fire danger and Rome had many terrible fires throughout its history. Take a ten question quiz at the The city of Ancient Rome questions page. More information on the civilization of Ancient Rome:
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