"This book is about a Roman town. It is not an actual town, instead it is composed of the many elements typical of Roman towns throughout the empire at the beginning of the 1st century AD. Look around the town, and find out what it was like to be a tourist in Roman times."
Roman Town is a detailed and informative book written by Hazel Mary Martell. It takes the reader through a tour of a Roman town, to places such as the ampitheater, the slums, the temple, and the baths to name a few. In each place, the author makes comparisons and contrasts to modern life that can be found. All this detail is matched with rich, elaborate illustrations that give a the reader an idea of what a typical Roman town would have looked like.
Curriculum Connections
I would recommend this book for grades 3-6. There is a lot of detail and information within, so it is a book which the teacher can read to the students, or more advanced readers can read on their own.
This book can be used to address VA History SOL 3.1 – The student will explain how the contributions of ancient Greece and Rome have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, government (direct and representative democracy), and sports.
Additional Resources
Brainpop.com has a great video about The Fall of the Roman Empire.
This site has some great info about The Roman Colosseum.
PBS has a good site called The Roman Empire: In the First Century, which has a lot of information that would supplement this book quite nicely.
General Information
- Book: Roman Town
- Author: Hazel Mary Martell
- Illustrator: Mark Bergin
- Publisher: Franklin Watts
- Publication Date: 1998
- Pages: 48
- Grade Range: 3-6
- ISBN: 0531153452