CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1EARLY ROME 10 CHAPTER 2 THE EARLY REPUBLIC 18 A CHAPTER 3 WoRLD DOMINATION 29 CHAPTER 4THE RomAN EMPIRE 47 CHAPTER 5 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ANCIENT ROMANs 58 80 CoNCLUSION GLOSSARY For MORE INFORMATION BILIOGRAPHY 86 87 INDEX
ulius Caesar s triumphant quote Veni vidi vici I came I saw I conquered could be ancient Rome's rallying cry The Romans excelled in warfare engineer ing and government a trio of strengths that helped them become a world power During the period of the Roman Empire most of the known world was united under Roman rule This volume provides a lively overview of the history of ancient Rome and highlights its many literary architectural and engineering achievements as well Rome's early history is shrouded in myth and legend According to tradition the city was founded by twin brothers Romulus and Remus in 753 BC and Romulus served as Rome's first king Although Romulus was a mythical figure the kings who followed him likely existed The last three kings of Rome were Etruscans who ruled in the 6th century BC These kings made improvements to the city building temples and public works such as the remarkable sewer Cloaca Maxima Rome prospered and became Italy s wealthiest city Still Etruscan rule was not universally appreciated Around 509 BC the Romans revolted against the tyrannical king Tarquinius Superbus and expelled the Etruscans from
INTRODUCTION the city making Rome a republic Initially the aristocracy called patricians ran the govern ment while the common people or plebeians had little to do with it After a long struggle however it was declared in 367 BC that one of Rome s two leaders or consuls must be a plebeian By 350 BC plebeians were included in the dictatorship With this rise came inclu sion in the Senate In addition anew assembly the comitia tributa now had some sway In this body one man s vote was equal to all others Meanwhile Rome used its military might to conquer its neighbors In the 4th century ICRITILF coSTERFIVMPE I m I Rome s Pantheon was built as a temple to the gods by Emperor Hadrian Shutterstock com
