! Pull out, cut along the dotted line and fold to make your Mini Histories magazine!

Pull out, cut along the dotted line and fold to make your Mini Histories magazine! Pull out, cut along the dotted line and fold to make your Mini Histories magazine!

THE
I N I
Brilliant brain

NE
MSTORIES

W
bogglers… ANBESWLOERW S

SE
RI
ES
HI PART 1

TO
ROMANS

CO
MOUSE MATCH-UP

LL
EC
Only two of these pictures of Max are

T!
the same. Do you know which ones?

E
B D

A C

Get ready to
race through the
ROMAN RAMBLE MAX’S MAZE Roman empire
Can you find these 15 things to do with Rome Max Mouse lost his with me, gang!
hidden in the grid below? They can be written shield in this maze.
forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally. Can you help him get to it
l Eternal city as fast as possible?
l Empire
l Romulus
l Rome
l Legionary
l Shield

Words: Dr Julia Nolte. Historical advisor: Matthew M McCarty, Lecturer in Ancient History, Worcester College,
l Armour
l Catapult
l Aqueduct University Of Oxford. Comic (words and iIlustrations): Gary Northfield. Photos © Getty Images UK.
l Amphitheatre
l Jupiter
l Livia
l Tunic
l Toga
l Garum

N IS
M I
HIST
O
THE
R I E
PART 2

VIKINGS Don’t miss Max

INSIDE…
H Amazing facts! H Fun puzzles!
ROMAN RAMBLE MAX’S MAZE
A and E are identical. in another ace
adventure!
H Incredible stories! H Cool comic!
ANSWERS MOUSE MATCH-UP
NE XT
H
MONT
!

Rags and riches

“Hi! I’m Max! Tunics – two pieces of woollen fabric sewn
together at the sides and shoulders with The wealthy pe
I’m NG Kids’ intrepid time- openings for your arms and head – were ople of
walked the city Rome
travelling mouse! Every all the rage in Rome, and were a status symbol to in togas
month in the new NG Kids show how wealthy and important they were.
Men’s tunics would reach down to their knees,
Mini Histories magazine, I’ll take while women’s were longer. The togas could also
you on a trip through history be worn over their tunics. Children generally
to uncover the most amazing dressed in simple tunics, tied around the waist
civilisations the world has ever with a belt. They also wore bullas – a round
locket on a chain, containing an amulet that was
seen – from the ancient Egyptians believed to protect them from harm. The poor
to the Aztecs! So, are you ready slaves, however, were forbidden to wear togas,
for an adventure? Great – let’s having to make to with very basic tunics!
go to early Rome, Italy’s
‘Eternal City’, and meet WHAT WAS A TOGA?
the ancient Romans!” The toga was a woollen shawl that
measured about three metres
long, two metres wide, and would
The be elaborately draped around the
British body, which looked very elegant,

Birth of an empire
Isles
but made it hard to move!

Imagine a small town turning into the centre Rome

Roman feast
of a great empire! Well, that’s what happened to
Rome. Founded in 753BC by its first king,
Romulus, Rome grew into a rich and powerful city over
u
Did yo ?
the next few hundred years. Its rulers soon reigned over The Romans liked to enjoy their food, often lying
the whole of Italy and by AD 117 the Roman Empire
Did you down on a couch while eating with their hands.
included all the lands around the Mediterranean and know…? know…oman
s They occasionally used a spoon to eat soups,
much of Europe, including England, Wales and parts The biggest town hy R
Wealt laves that but they would never use a knife and
in Roman
of Scotland. On this map (right) you can see just B
was Lond ritain had s uld buy fork. Rich Romans liked to eat exotic
o
how large the empire grew. It lasted inium
(London they c sell! food, such as stork, roast parrot
almost 500 years, but fell apart )! or and even flamingo. Slaves
in AD 476 when people from cooked and served the food,
beyond the frontiers invaded and also washed the feet of
and conquered Rome itself. guests before the meal!
The common Roman,
however, lived on a diet
of porridge, bread,
TERRIBLE TWIN! vegetables and fruit, as
Roman legend says that Romulus had meat was too expensive
a twin brother called Remus. As babies for them.
they were abandoned in the area which
later became Rome. A she-wolf found
and raised them, but when they grew SOMETHING FISHY!
up, Romulus fought and killed Remus The Romans loved adding garum – a fishy sauce that they left to rot in
and became the first ruler of Rome! stone tanks with salt and herbs – to every meal, even dessert. Yum!
!
Did you
Great gods know…?
Only emp
were allo erors
Army in action!
The Romans believed w How did the Romans manage to build such a big
wear the ed to
that there were many colour empire? With a strong army which conquered
purple. new lands! During battle, a Roman soldier or
gods and goddesses
who controlled different areas of “legionary” first hurled his throwing spear towards the
life. Neptune, for example, was enemy, then he fought
the god of the sea and if you him with a sword. To
went on a boat trip, you would protect himself, he carried
have prayed to him to protect a shield of wood and wore
you. Venus was the goddess of a helmet and armour made
love and beauty, so if you had from metal. Some soldiers used
a crush on someone and didn’t giant catapults to fire rocks or balls of
know how to tell them, you burning tar at the enemy – yikes! When
would have asked her for help. they weren’t at war, legionaries secured the
Temples were built to honour frontiers in military bases throughout
Europe, Africa and the
JUPITER JUNO MINERVA Middle East. After some
He was the king of the gods The queen of the gods The daughter of Juno and 20 years of service,
and the most important and Jupiter’s wife, this Jupiter was the goddess of
and powerful god for the goddess protected women, arts, crafts and knowledge.
CLEVER COMBAT Did you
The Roman legionaries used clever methods. know…?
ROME RULES! For example, they could turn themselves into a ‘tortoise’! The Rom
a n
That’s what they called a special fighting technique where could ma army
For the first 250 years, Rome was ruled Augustus took all the power for himself, rc
up to 40k h
by kings. Then, it became a republic founded the Roman Empire and became m
a day!
governed by a council of 600 rich men its first emperor. Take a look at the faces

Building an empire
(the senate) and two consuls. In 27BC, of some famous Roman leaders. Can you

1. LIVIA
This powerful and clever empress reigned The Romans didn’t spend all their time fighting
together with her husband, Augustus. There - they were also amazing architects and engineers!
were statues of her all over the empire and she They built roads, walls and aqueducts – things we
take for granted today, but which were new ideas in Roman
2. NERO times! The roads were made from big, flat stones that were
Not-so-nice Nero was perhaps the cruellest laid on layers of clay, chalk and gravel. They were slightly
A B Roman emperor. He persecuted hundreds of higher in the middle than at the sides so that rain water
Christians, and killed his two wives and his could drain off. Roads were important for the Romans
because they allowed them to move their army quickly
3. CAESAR to an area if there were riots. The Romans also erected
The most famous Roman leader and commander stone walls to keep out ‘barbarians’ and to mark their
wore a laurel wreath to hide his lack of hair!
Caesar was in love with Cleopatra, who became

4. AUGUSTUS SHOWTIME!
Rome’s first emperor has the month of August
In their capital, Rome, the Romans built the largest arena
named after him. Legend has it that Augustus
of their empire: the Colosseum. In this amphitheatre, men
died of poisoned figs offered to him by his wife,
and women fought against each other, or against tigers
C D Answers: A 3, B 4, C 1, D 2.