Romans
Ancient Rome
In about 750 BC, a tribe of people who spoke a language called Latin settled on the banks of the River Tiber in Italy. This settlement became a town called Rome. Over time, Rome grew to be a large and powerful city, the capital of an empire conquered by its all-powerful army, stretching from Britain to the Middle East. The name Rome is believed to come from Romulus, one of the legendary twins who is credited with the founding of the city.
Romulus and Remus
According to legend, Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a she-wolf. As adults, they decided to build a town, but quarelled over where to place it. In the fight that ensued, Romulus killed his brother. This legend dates the founding of Rome to 753 BC. The archaeological evidence does suggest that walls on the Palatine Hill, at the centre of the modern city, date from that period.
The city of Rome
Rome itself was the capital of the Roman Empire and the home of its emperor. Goods, such as grain, olive oil, wine, ivory, spices and silks, poured into the city from all corners of the empire. Famed for its magnificent buildings, Rome grew to have more than one million inhabitants.
Rome's wealthy citizens lived in great luxury, while the poor, the vast majority of its residents, were crammed into overcrowded apartment blocks that lined the squalid, stinking narrow streets. Few apartments had running water. Fires broke out frequently. At night the city was plunged into darkness and the streets became the domain of thieves and murderers.
The Great Fire
In AD 64 a great fire burned for a week and destroyed half of Rome. Emperor Nero blamed the Christians and had many of them killed. There were rumours he started the fire himself in order to clear space for a new palace.
It is said that Nero, a vain man who saw himself as a skilled musician, played on the lyre as Rome burned.
Consultant: Philip Parker