Ancient Rome

Basic Information

Ancient Rome was one of the largest Empires of the Ancient World. According to Legend, the city was founded on April 21, 753 BC by the half-divine (sons of Mars (mythology)) brothers Romulus and Remus, who were also descendants of one of the former Princes of Troy. According to Livy, the city was founded when the last King of the region, Tarquin the Proud, was deposed in 509 BC. Archaeological evidence suggests the city began as an agricultural community as far back as the 10th Century BC.

Whatever it's true origins, the city grew, and reached out it's influence across the world. It went from Kingdom to Republic to Empire. In 293 the Empire was divided into Eastern and Western halves, with two co-Emperors. The Western Empire (which is what is usually thought of when the term "Ancient Rome" or "Roman Empire" is mentioned) collapsed under pressure from Germanic tribes (such as the vandals and visigoths) on September 4, 476. The Eastern Empire survived for nearly a thousand more years, but came to resemble Ancient Rome less and less with time - for more information on the Eastern Empire, see Byzantine Empire.

At the height of the Empire, Rome itself was the largest city in the world. Estimates range from 450,000 to 14 million people, depending on the source and era, with about one million people being the most commonly agreed upon figure. After Rome was sacked and the Empire crumbled, it would be a good 1,500 years before any single city reached such population levels again.

See Also:

• Roman Kingdom, Roman Empire and Roman Republic
• Roman Mythology, Classical Mythology, and Interpretatio Graeca
• Roman Technology
• Roman Military and Roman Legion
• Social Class in Ancient Rome
• Timeline of Ancient Rome
• Historical and Cultural Perspectives on Zoophilia

Ancient Rome in Tropes:

• Androcles Lion
• Bread And Circuses
• The Caligula
• Canis Latinicus
• Color Coded Patrician: Only the patrician class could wear Tyrian Purple.
• Gladiator Games
• The Queens Latin

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia

2. Wikipedia's List of topics related to Ancient Rome

3. Wikipedia's Timeline of Ancient Rome

4. Crystal Links index on Ancient Rome

5. History for Kids

6. Ancient Timeline

7. About dot Com on the differences between Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome

8. TV Tropes Wiki on Ancient Rome

9. TV Tropes Wiki on Roman Empire

10. List and map of modern nations that were once within Rome's boundaries

Game and Story Use

• Julius Beethoven Da Vinci, and any other immortal or time traveler characters have probably spent some amount of time in Ancient Rome, or at least one of it's many colonies and territories.