Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome, the state centred on the city of Rome.

This article discusses the period from the founding of the city and the regal period, which began in 753 bc, through the events leading to the founding of the republic in 509 bc, the establishment of the empire in 27 bc, and the final eclipse of the Empire of the West in the 5th century ad.

For later events of the Empire of the East, see Byzantine Empire.

Rome must be considered one of the most successful imperial powers in history.

In the course of centuries Rome grew from a small town on the Tiber River in central Italy into a vast empire that ultimately embraced England, all of continental Europe west of the Rhine and south of the Danube, most of Asia west of the Euphrates, northern Africa, and the islands of the Mediterranean.

Unlike the Greeks, who excelled in intellectual and artistic endeavours, the Romans achieved greatness in their military, political, and social institutions.

Roman society, during the republic, was governed by a strong military ethos. While this helps to explain the incessant warfare, it does not account for Rome’s success as an imperial power.

Unlike Greek city-states, which excluded foreigners and subjected peoples from political participation, Rome from its beginning incorporated conquered peoples into its social and political system.

Allies and subjects who adopted Roman ways were eventually granted Roman citizenship.

During the principate, the seats in the Senate and even the imperial throne were occupied by persons from the Mediterranean realm outside Italy.

The lasting effects of Roman rule in Europe can be seen in the geographic distribution of the Romance languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian), all of which evolved from Latin, the language of the Romans.

The Western alphabet of 26 letters and the calendar of 12 months and 365.25 days are only two simple examples of the cultural legacy which Rome has bequeathed Western civilization. | by Gary Edward Forsythe © Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

History of Rome

The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome.

Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced many modern legal systems.

Roman history can be divided into the following periods:

• Pre-historical and early Rome, covering Rome's earliest inhabitants and the legend of its founding by Romulus

• The period of Etruscan dominance and the regal period, in which, according to tradition, Romulus was the first of seven kings

• The Roman Republic, which commenced in 509 BC when kings were replaced with rule by elected magistrates.

The period was marked by vast expansion of Roman territory.

During the 5th century BC, Rome gained regional dominance in Latium.

With the Punic Wars from 264 to 146 BC, ancient Rome gained dominance over the Western Mediterranean, displacing Carthage as the dominant regional power.

• The Roman Empire followed the Republic, which waned with the rise of Julius Caesar, and by all measures concluded after a period of civil war and the victory of Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, in 27 BC over Mark Antony.

• The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 after the city was conquered by the Ostrogothic Kingdom. Consequently, Rome's power declined, and it eventually became part of the Eastern Roman Empire, as the Duchy of Rome, from the 6th to 8th centuries.

At this time, the city was reduced to a fraction of its former size, being sacked several times in the 5th to 6th centuries, even temporarily depopulated entirely.

• Medieval Rome is characterised by a break with Constantinople and the formation of the Papal States.

The Papacy struggled to retain influence in the emerging Holy Roman Empire, and during the saeculum obscurum, the population of Rome fell to as low as 30,000 inhabitants.

• Following the East–West Schism and the limited success in the Investiture Controversy, the Papacy did gain considerable influence in the High Middle Ages, but with the Avignon Papacy and the Western Schism, the city of Rome was reduced to irrelevance, its population falling below 20,000.

Rome's decline into complete irrelevance during the medieval period, with the associated lack of construction activity, assured the survival of very significant ancient Roman material remains in the centre of the city, some abandoned and others continuing in use.

• The Roman Renaissance occurred in the 15th century, when Rome replaced Florence as the centre of artistic and cultural influence.

The Roman Renaissance was cut short abruptly with the devastation of the city in 1527, but the Papacy reasserted itself in the Counter-Reformation, and the city continued to flourish during the early modern period.

Rome was annexed by Napoleon and was part of the First French Empire from 1809 to 1814.

• Modern history, the period from the 19th century to the present. Rome came under siege again after the Allied invasion of Italy and was bombed several times.

It was declared an open city on 14 August 1943. Rome became the capital of the Italian Republic (established in 1946).

With a population of 4.4 million (as of 2015; 2.9 million within city limits), it is the largest city in Italy. It is among the largest urban areas of the European Union and classified as a global city.