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
Antik EARLY ROME hen the ancient Greeks were reaching the height of their glory the power of Rome to the west was slowly rising The genius of the Greeks lay in art literature science and phi losophy The Romans were best in warfare engineering and government Rome rose to power gradually with no set plan for world conquest The Romans fought many wars and enslaved many people By the reign of the emperor Augustus 27 BC AD 14 most of the known world was unified and at peace under Roman rule CITY OF THE SEVEN HILLS Halfway down the Italian peninsula on the west coast is a small river called the Tiber The coastal plain south of the river was known as Latium in ancient times after the people who lived there the Latins These people were shepherds and farmers In the hill country to the west lived the Sabines distant kinsmen of the Latins They had moved into the peninsula from central IO
EARLY ROME WELL Bridge over the Tiber River Anik Messier Flickr Getty Images Europe before 1000 BC and had vanquished the original inhabitants The people con quered by the Sabines had probably begun to move from Africa about 10 000 BC as the Sahara gradually turned to desert II
