The Roman Empire was very large. It stretched across to Britain westwards and south to North Africa. It stretched into the Middle East and up into Germany.

The Romans built spectacular cities all over the empire. Many of them were modelled on the pattern of buildings in Rome, even if they were just small places.

When the Roman Empire collapsed, many local people took the stones from these buildings and used them for their own homes. As a result, many of the Roman buildings became ruins.

In some places, such as the desert lands of North Africa and the Middle East, the ruins have remained untouched by the weather. Palmyra was sited in an oasis 200 km northeast of the modern Syrian capital city of Damascus.

Because it was an oasis with water, it was a vital stopping point for camel caravans travelling across the desert. These caravans of camels and people were using the Silk Road, an ancient highway between India and the Roman Empire. As a result of trade and taxes on travellers, it become very wealthy. The city was known as the Bride of the Desert.