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
ANCIENT ROME BC the Romans battled the Etruscans the Latins and the intimidating Samnites With the final defeat of the Samnites in 295 BC Rome ruled northern and central Italy The ensuing conquest of the Greek city states that occupied the south made Rome the master of all Italy Rome skillfully united the conquered peoples They were granted the status of allies and enjoyed self rule and vari ous degrees of Roman citizenship The Mediterranean was Rome's next tar get Beginning in 264 BC Rome fought three wars against the Carthaginians the Puni Wars Rome triumphed every time and finally ruled the Mediterranean Sea Unfortunately the young rulers of the time did not share the sage polices of the rulers before them causing them to ruin the very countries they struggled to win The murder of the politician Tiberius in 133 BC triggered a century of political strife and civil war During this time Pompey and Julius Caesar emerged as great leaders Caesar became so powerful that 60 senators assas sinated him in 44 BC Caesar's soldiers then united behind his adopted son Octavian who became a potent leader in his own right Octavian presented Rome as a republic but most historians agree that by 31 BC the
INTRODUCTION Roman Empire had commenced More than 200 years of relative peace and prosperity followed Free men throughout the Empire were considered Roman citizens and Roman law was applied in every court Christianity slowly spread and became the Empire s offi cial faith At the end of this period a line of five great emperors brought Rome to new heights One of them Hadrian fortified the Empire s frontiers with a wall that still stands in parts of Britain After the death of Marcus Aurelius in AD 180 however a succession of short lived emperors and Constantine's transfer of the capital to the east irreparably divided Rome The barbarian uprisings that ensued finally toppled the Empire Rome was far more than imperial supe riority Trading cities were bigger than ever and featured theaters huge arenas and pub lic baths In engineering the Romans could boast an impressive road system and bridges The Latin language is lauded for its beauty in all types of literature Roman authors such as Virgil and Cicero are still studied today Ancient Rome is a fascinating study of battle and government of engineering and art This volume offers an intriguing look at Rome s many accomplishments highlighting the many layers of this fertile
