According to legend, the city of Rome was founded by twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, in 753 B.C.. The legend said that they were separated from their parent while still babies. The twins were found and nourished by a she wolf that had lost her cubs. When the twins grew up, they founded Rome. Romulus became the first king.

The true history of the founding of Rome is as follows: About 3,00 years ago, some shepherd farmers from central Europe fought their way southward into the central part of the Italian peninsula. These were the descendants of the shepherds who invaded Greece. Some of these shepherds built small villages along the Tiber River. Gradually, these villages turned into a larger town - ancient Rome.

The first houses of Rome were built of mud, with only a square hole in the middle to allow smoke to leave. There were no schoolhouses, so the parents had to teach their children at home. The Roman men were all farmers, but when necessary, they would lay down the plows and pick up their arms to defend Rome. After a lot of hard work and soldiering, the Romans became a sturdy people. They learned a lot from their neighbors to the north, the Etruscans. The Etruscans taught them how to work with metal.

The Etruscan kings ruled Rome from the 7th to the late 6th century BC, but when the last monarch was overthrown, about 510 BC, a republic was established. After this, the Romans started establishing many colonies throughout central Italy. After a Gallic invasion early in the 4th century BC, the Servian Wall was built to protect the city. In subsequent years, the first aqueduct in Rome was built (312 BC), and at the same time, the Via Appia ,connecting the city with southern Italy, was constructed.

Rome's only rival to the west lay in Northern Africa - Carthage. The growing sea trade of Rome brought trouble with Carthage. The wars that were waged between the Carthaginians and Romans, the Punic wars, lasted almost 120 years. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, marched his army from Spain over the Alps and invaded Italy. After this, the Roman armies followed Hannibal back to Carthage where they burned the city to the ground. During this period, they were spreading their influence eastwards.

The great difference between the rich and poor in Roman society helped bring about a century of war. During this time, Julius Caesar fought for the poor against the leaders of the government. For ten years Caesar fought to push the borders of Rome's empire to the north. He conquered what is now France, and even led his soldiers into the British Isles. In 49 B.C. he returned to Rome and became a dictator. In 44 B.C., he was assassinated.

The empire had become very weak by the time of Constantine I as a result of the corruption of the army and the fact that the rulers did nothing to help the people. During these years, over 30 generals in the Legions proclaimed themselves emperor, and tried to seige power. Also, when the soldiers returned home from war, their farms and land had been seized by the rich landlords, and they became homeless and angry. And the government was also full of corruption, bribes, and they would murder in order to advance their own opinions. These things opened the gates of the empire to uncivilized tribes from the north. These tribes stormed across the border and settled inside the empire. Even Persia started to become a threat. Because of this, Constantine I moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium. Byzantium's name was changed to Constantinople in the emperor's honor. This divided the empire into the eastern and western empire. This division opened the doors of opportunity to the barbarous hordes that were settling inside the empire. The last of the emperors in Rome gave up his throne in 476 A.D.. Because of this, the western empire was shattered. But the eastern empire continued for much longer.

(Click on the map above to see a larger image of the map of the Roman Empire).
 

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