Great Lives - The Ancient World

Many of the most famous people from ancient times were rulers of great empires. Some were fierce warriors and conquered other countries. Others put up magnificent buildings or were buried in vast tombs, some of which still exist today. We know about their lives from legends and from reports made at the time. These can be proved by looking at ancient coins, statues, and writing on the walls of tombs and monuments.

 FIRST EMPEROR OF CHINA

 Shi Huangdi (259-210 B.C. ) was the first emperor to rule all china. The name China cam from the name of his dynasty, Qin, also spelled Ch'in. Shi Huangdi built roads, canals, and palaces, and began the Great Wall of China that marked China's frontier. His tomb at Xi'an was "guarded" by 8000 terra cotta, or baked clay, statues. 

Terra cotta warriors

AMAZING FACTS

• Shi Huangdi's vast tomb was about 50 sq km (20 sq miles) in size

• Pharaoh Ramses II had over 100 children

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Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Great Wall of China

THE GREATEST ROMAN

Julius Caesar (c. 101-44 B.C. ) was a brilliant Roman general who conquered Gaul (France and Belgium). He persuaded the Romans to make him their ruler. Caesar was murdered by rivals who thought he had too much power. His adopted son, Augustus, became the first Roman emperor.

Roman coin showing the head of Julius Caesar

PHARAOH OF ANCIENT EGYPT

Ramses II (c. 1304-1213 B.C. ) was pharaoh, or king, of Egypt for 67 years. He conquered a large area of the Middle East, leading his army into war on his chariot. Ramses also built many great buildings. His temple at Abu Simbel was cutout pf rock. The statues outside it are giant portraits of Ramses II.

Ramses II in his chariot

EGYPTIAN QUEEN

Cleopatra (69-30 B.C. ) was queen of Egypt in Roman times. She made heroic attempts to hold onto power against the Romans. She fell in love with Julius Caesar and then with his friend Mark Antony. When Antony died in battle, she killed herself by letting a poisonous snake bite her.

Queen Cleopatra

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Mount Sinai
Abu Simbel in Nubia
Great Pyramid of Khufu