Italia
The political and cultural heartland
Rome, Ostia, Pompeii and the cities of Italy formed the core of Roman identity.
Cities · Provinces · Trade
The Roman World
Travel through an empire of languages, landscapes and local identities connected by law, armies, roads and the Mediterranean Sea.
Mare Nostrum
The Mediterranean connected the empire
Romans called the Mediterranean “our sea”. Ships, roads and rivers moved grain, wine, oil, ceramics, soldiers, officials and information between hundreds of cities.
Roman rule did not erase local identities. Languages, religions and customs varied enormously, producing an empire that was politically connected but culturally diverse.
Hispania
Mines, cities and Atlantic frontiers
The Iberian provinces supplied metals, olive oil, soldiers, senators and emperors.
Gallia
Roads, rivers and provincial cities
Gaul became a deeply urbanised region tied together by trade routes and military frontiers.
Britannia
A distant northern province
Fortresses, towns, villas and Hadrian’s Wall marked Rome’s uneven hold on Britain.
Africa
Grain, oil and prosperous cities
North Africa contained some of the wealthiest agricultural districts in the empire.
Aegyptus
The Nile and imperial grain
Egypt’s ancient institutions coexisted with Roman administration and Mediterranean commerce.
Graecia & Asia
Cities of the eastern Mediterranean
Greek language, education and urban culture remained central to the Roman world.
Syria & Judaea
Trade routes and contested frontiers
These eastern provinces linked Rome with Arabia, Persia and the wider networks of Asia.
Urban civilisation
A world of cities
Forums, temples, baths, theatres, amphitheatres, markets and council buildings gave Roman cities a recognisable public language. Behind monumental façades, daily life unfolded in workshops, apartment blocks, houses, taverns and crowded streets.
Forum politics, law and commerceBaths exercise, bathing and social lifeAqueducts water for fountains and public buildingsInsulae multi-storey urban housing
Movement and exchange
Roads, sea lanes and commerce
Roman roads were built primarily for administration and armies, but they also supported travel and trade. Ports such as Ostia, Alexandria and Carthage connected regional economies to the imperial capital.
How the empire was governed →Roadslinked forts, towns and provincial capitals
Portsmoved bulk goods more efficiently than land transport
Coinagesupported taxation, payment and long-distance exchange