ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Timeline of Roman history

Okay kiddo, let me tell you a story about the timeline of Roman history!

A long long time ago, before we were born, there was a city called Rome in Italy. The very first Romans were just normal people who lived in small groups on seven hills near the Tiber River. These people were called Latins.

In 753 BC, a man named Romulus became the first king of Rome. A king is like a boss who makes decisions for his people. He built a wall around the city to protect it and started making laws. The people of Rome called themselves Romans after their king, Romulus.

After many many years, Rome became a big and powerful city. The Romans won battles and conquered new lands. They even created their own huge empire, which lasted for hundreds of years!

In 509 BC, the Romans decided they didn't want a king anymore. They wanted to make decisions together and be in charge of their own city. This was the start of the Roman Republic. They chose two leaders, called consuls, who had to agree on what to do before they could make any decisions.

During this time, many wars were fought and the Romans won many lands. They also had their own army, which was one of the strongest in the world.

In 44 BC, a man named Julius Caesar became the leader of Rome. He was so powerful and popular that many people hated him and thought he was a threat to their way of life. Sadly, he was assassinated by his own people.

After his death, Rome went through a lot of changes. Leaders came and went, but the city remained powerful. It was during this time that a new religion, Christianity, was born.

In 27 BC, a man named Augustus became the first emperor of Rome. An emperor is like a king, but with even more power. He created many new laws and built amazing buildings like the Colosseum and the Pantheon. The Roman Empire continued to grow during his reign.

Over the next few hundred years, the Empire continued to grow and change. New emperors came and went, wars were fought, and huge battles were won and lost. The Romans even conquered parts of Britain!

Eventually, the Roman Empire started to fall apart. This happened for many reasons, but one of the biggest was because it was so big and hard to control. Rulers changed and the empire got weaker and weaker.

In 476 AD, the last emperor of Rome was kicked out by a man named Odoacer and the empire officially came to an end. But even though the empire was gone, the ideas and the culture of the Romans lived on. Today, we still talk about the Romans and learn about their amazing history!
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