The Roman Empire was a very important civilization. It was strong, large, and had some of the most beautiful buildings in the world. There are churches, houses, and even large structures like the colosseum. The Romans had achieved so much before their defeat in battle.
In early ancient Rome there weren't many buildings or structures yet. There might have been a few houses and markets. The houses in Rome were different according to how much money you had. The wealthy Romans had large houses with courtyards and a peristyle. A peristyle is a second courtyard inside the house. It was planted with trees and shrubs. The house also had openings in the roof so it was not all covered up. These houses were also called the roman country houses. More middle class Romans might have a smaller house with only a garden, a courtyard, and living space.
Apart from where Romans lived they also had temples where they could worship. The Romans believed in many gods. These temples and shrines were simple. Later as the empire expanded there would be larger and nicer shrines. One of the greatest temples and best preserved was the Pantheon. It was built in honor of all of the gods. The temples usually were medium sized with strong columns or pillars supporting the front of the building. The insides weren't comfortable but there were places to sit. As time went on it only got better.
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As Rome got larger it had more buildings and structures. One of the most famous places in Rome is the colosseum. People would come there for entertainment. A lot of things happened on the colosseum such as gladiator fights and people being eaten by lions. The colosseum or amphitheater was very large. It has four stories and is in an oval shape. It was 157 feet high with about enough room to fit 50,000 people. It was made from brick and concrete. It had 80 entrances with 2 of them being reserved for the emperor. Underneath the large amphitheater were many underground passages.
