Ancient Rome was an Italic civilization that began on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC.

Located along theMediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Ro e! it e"#anded to beco e one of the largest e #ires in the ancient world$%& with an esti ated '( to )( illion inhabitants *roughly +(, of the world-s #o#ulation$+&$.&$/&0 and covering 1.' illion s2uare 3ilo eters *+.' illion s2 i0 during its height between the first and second centuries 45. $'&
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In its a##ro"i ately %+ centuries of e"istence! Ro an civilization shifted fro a onarchy to a classical re#ublic to an increasingly autocratic e #ire. 7hrough con2uest and assi ilation! it ca e to do inate Southern 8uro#e! 9estern 8uro#e! 4sia Minor! :orth 4frica! #arts of :orthern 8uro#e! and #arts of 8astern 8uro#e. Ro e was #re#onderant throughout the Mediterranean region and was one of the ost #owerful entities of the ancient world. It is often grou#ed into ;Classical 4nti2uity; together with ancient <reece! and their si ilar cultures and societies are 3nown as the <reco=Ro an world. 7he Ro ans are still re e bered today! including na es such as >ulius Caesar! Cicero! and 4ugustus. 4ncient Ro an society contributed greatly to govern ent! law! #olitics! engineering! art! literature! architecture! technology! warfare! religion! language! society and ore in the 9estern world. 4 civilization highly develo#ed for its ti e! Ro e #rofessionalized and greatly e"#anded its ilitary and created a syste of govern ent called res publica! the ins#iration for odern re#ublics$8&$)&$%(& such as the ?nited States and @rance. It achieved i #ressive technological and architectural feats! such as the construction of an e"tensive syste of a2ueducts and roads! as well as large onu ents! #alaces! and #ublic facilities. By the end of the Re#ublic! Ro e had con2uered the lands around the Mediterranean and beyondA its do ain e"tended fro the 4tlantic to 4rabia and fro the outh of the Rhine to :orth 4frica. 7he Ro an 8 #ire e erged under the leadershi# of 4ugustus Caesar. ?nder7raBan! the 8 #ire reached its territorial #ea3. Re#ublican ores and traditions started to decline during the i #erial #eriod! with civil wars beco ing a co on ritual for a new e #eror-s rise.$%%&$%+&$%.& States! such as Pal yra! te #orarily divided the 8 #ire in a third= century crisis. Soldier e #erors reunified it! by dividing the e #ire between 9estern and 8astern halves. Plagued by internal instability and attac3ed by various igrating #eo#les! the western #art of the e #ire bro3e u# into inde#endent 3ingdo s in the 'th century. 7his s#lintering is a land ar3 historians use to divide

the ancient #eriod of universal history fro 8uro#e.

the #re= ediaeval ;5ar3 4ges; of

7he 8astern Ro an 8 #ire survived this crisis and was governed fro Constantino#le after the division of the 8 #ire. It co #rised <reece! theBal3ans! 4sia Minor! Syria and 8gy#t. 5es#ite the later loss of Syria and 8gy#t to the 4rab=Isla ic 8 #ire! the 8astern Ro an 8 #ire continued for another illenniu ! until its re nants were anne"ed by the e erging 7ur3ish Ctto an 8 #ire. 7his eastern! Christian! edieval stage of the 8 #ire is usually called the Byzantine 8 #ire by historians.
Contents
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% Distory %.% Ro an chronology %.+ @ounding %.. Eingdo %./ Re#ublic %./.% Punic 9ars %./.+ Late Re#ublic %./.+.% Marius and Sulla %./.+.+ Caesar and the @irst 7riu virate %./.+.. Cctavian and the Second 7riu virate %.' 8 #ire %.'.% >ulio=Claudian dynasty %.'.%.% 4ugustus %.'.%.+ @ro 7iberius to :ero %.'.+ @lavian dynasty %.'.+.% Fes#asian %.'.+.+ 7itus and 5o itian %.'.. :ervaG4ntonine dynasty %.'...% 7raBan %.'...+ @ro Dadrian to Co odus %.'./ Severan dynasty %.'./.% Se#ti ius Severus %.'./.+ @ro %.'.1 5o inate %.'.1.% 5iocletian Caracalla to 4le"ander Severus %.'.' Crisis of the .rd century yth

 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

%.'.1.+ Constantine and Christianity %.'.6 @all of the 9estern Ro an 8 #ire %.1 Distorians %.1.% In Ro an ti es %.1.+ In Modern ti es

+ Society +.% Class structure +.+ @a ily +.. 8ducation +./ <overn ent +.' Law +.1 8cono y +.6 Military . Culture ..% Language ..+ Religion ... 4rt! usic and literature ../ Scholarly studies ..' Cuisine ..1 <a es and recreation / 7echnology ' Legacy 1 See also 6 :otes 8 References ) @urther reading %( 8"ternal lin3s

History
Roman chronology

Founding myth
Main article: Founding of Rome

4ccording to legend! Ro e was foundedin 6'. BC by Ro ulus and Re us! who were raised by a she=wolf.

4ccording to the founding yth of Ro e! the city was founded on +% 4#ril 6'. BC by twin brothers Ro ulus and Re us! who descended fro the7roBan #rince 4eneas$%/& and who were grandsons of the Latin Eing! :u itor of 4lba Longa. Eing :u itor was de#osed fro his throne by his brother!4 ulius! while :u itor-s daughter! Rhea Silvia! gave birth to the twins. $%'&$%1& Because Rhea Silvia was ra#ed and i #regnated by Mars! the Ro an god of war! the twins were considered half=divine. 7he new 3ing feared Ro ulus and Re us would ta3e bac3 the throne! so he ordered the to be drowned.$%1& 4 she=wolf *or a she#herd-s wife in so e accounts0 saved and raised the ! and when they were old enough! they returned the throne of 4lba Longa to :u itor.$%6&$%8& 7he twins then founded their own city! but Ro ulus 3illed Re us in a 2uarrel over the location of the Ro an Eingdo ! though so e sources state the 2uarrel was about who was going to rule or give his na e to the city. $%)& Ro ulus beca e the source of the city-s na e.$+(& In order to attract #eo#le to the city! Ro e beca e a sanctuary for the indigent! e"iled! and unwanted. 7his caused a #roble for Ro e! which had a large wor3force but was bereft of wo en. Ro ulus traveled to the neighboring towns and tribes and atte #ted to secure arriage rights but as Ro e was so full of undesirables they all refused. Legend says that the Latins invited the Sabines to a festival and stole their un arried aidens! leading to the integration of the Latins and the Sabines. $+%& 4nother legend! recorded by <ree3 historian 5ionysius of Dalicarnassus! says that Prince 4eneas led a grou# of 7roBans on a sea voyage to found a new 7roy! since the original was destroyed in the outco e of the 7roBan 9ar. 4fter a long ti e in rough seas! they landed at the ban3s of the 7iber River. :ot long after they landed! the en wanted to ta3e to the sea again! but the wo en who were traveling with the did not want to leave. Cne wo an! na ed Ro a! suggested that the wo en burn the shi#s out at sea to #revent the fro

leaving. 4t first! the en were angry with Ro a! but they soon realized that they were in the ideal #lace to settle. 7hey na ed the settle ent after the wo an who torched their shi#s.$++& 7he Ro an #oet Fergil recounted this legend in his classical e#ic #oe the Aeneid. In the Aeneid! the 7roBan #rince 4eneas is destined by the gods in his enter#rise of founding a new 7roy. In the e#ic! the wo en also refused to go bac3 to the sea! but they were not left on the 7iber. 4fter reaching Italy! 4eneas! who wanted to arry Lavinia! was forced to wage war with her for er suitor!7urnus. 4ccording to the #oe ! the 4lban 3ings were descended fro 4eneas! and thus! Ro ulus! the founder of Ro e! was his descendant.

Kingdom
Main article: Roman Kingdom 7he city of Ro e grew fro settle ents around a ford on the river 7iber! a crossroads of traffic and trade.$+.& 4ccording to archaeological evidence! the village of Ro e was #robably founded so e ti e in the 8th century BC! though it ay go bac3 as far as the %(th century BC! by e bers of the Latin tribe of Italy! on the to# of the Palatine Dill.$+/&$+'& 7he 8truscans! who had #reviously settled to the north in 8truria! see to have established #olitical control in the region by the late 6th century BC! for ing the aristocratic and onarchical elite. 7he 8truscans a##arently lost #ower in the area by the late 1th century BC! and at this #oint! the original Latin and Sabine tribes reinvented their govern ent by creating a re#ublic! with uch greater restraints on the ability of rulers to e"ercise #ower. $+1& Ro an tradition and archaeological evidence #oint to a co #le" within the @oru Ro anu as the seat of #ower for the 3ing and the beginnings of the religious center there as well. :u a Po #ilius was the second 3ing of Ro e! succeeding Ro ulus. De began Ro e-s great building #roBects with his royal #alace the Regia and the co #le" of the Festal virgins.

Republic
Main article: Roman Republic

7his bust fro Brutus.

the Ca#itoline Museu s is traditionally identified as a #ortrait of Lucius >unius

4ccording to tradition and later writers such as Livy! the Ro an Re#ublic was established around '() BC!$+6& when the last of the seven 3ings of Ro e! 7ar2uin the Proud! was de#osed by Lucius >unius Brutus! and a syste based on annually elected agistrates and various re#resentative asse blies was established.$+8& 4 constitution set a series of chec3s and balances! and a se#aration of #owers. 7he ost i #ortant agistrates were the two consuls! who together e"ercised e"ecutive authority as imperium! or ilitary co and. $+)& 7he consuls had to wor3 with the senate! which was initially an advisory council of the ran3ing nobility! or #atricians! but grew in size and #ower. $.(& Cther agistracies in the Re#ublic include tribunes! 2uaestors! aediles! #raetors and censors.$.%& 7he agistracies were originally restricted to #atricians! but were later o#ened to co on #eo#le! or #lebeians.$.+& Re#ublican voting asse blies included the comitia centuriata *centuriate asse bly0! which voted on atters of war and #eace and elected en to the ost i #ortant offices! and the comitia tributa *tribal asse bly0! which elected less i #ortant offices. $..&

Italy in /(( BC.

In the /th century BC Ro e had co e under attac3 by the <auls! now e"tending their #ower in the Italian #eninsula beyond the Po Falley and through 8truria. Cn %1 >uly .)( BC! a <allic ar y under the leadershi# of a tribal chieftain na ed Brennus! et the Ro ans on the Ban3s of the s all 4llia River Bust ten iles north of Ro e. Brennus defeated the Ro ans! and the <auls arched directly to Ro e. Most Ro ans had fled the city! but so e barricaded the selves u#on the Ca#itoline Dill for a last stand. 7he <auls looted and burned the city! then laid siege to the Ca#itoline Dill. 7he siege lasted seven onths! the <auls then agreed to give the Ro ans #eace in e"change for %!((( #ounds */'( 3g0 of gold.$./& *4ccording to later legend! the Ro an su#ervising the weighing noticed that the <auls were using false scales. 7he Ro ans then too3 u# ar s and defeated the <aulsH their victorious general Ca illus re ar3ed ;9ith iron! not with gold! Ro e buys her freedo .;0
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The Romans gradually subdued the other peoples on the Italian peninsula, including the 8truscans.$.1& The last threat to Roman hege ony in Italy came when7arentu , a major <ree3 colony, enlisted the aid of Pyrrhus of 8#irus in 281 BC, ut this effort failed as well.$.6&$.8& The Romans secured their con!uests y founding Ro an colonies in strategic areas, there y esta lishing sta le control o"er the region of Italy.
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