mardi 23 septembre 2014

History of Rome

The History of Rome begins in 753 BC with its foundation by Romulus and ends in 476 AD with the fall of the western Roman Empire. It can be split in three parts: the Kingdom, the Republic and the Empire.


Timeline of the Roman Civilization

During the Kingdom area, seven kings ruled Rome, from 753 BC to 509 BC. The first and the most famous is Romulus. According to legend, he killed his twin brother Remus, with whom he had been raised by a wolf, to became king.

The legendary wolf which had raised the twins Remus and Romulus

After a revolution against the last king, the Roman Republic was created. The government was ruled by the Senate indirectly elected by the plebeians and the patricians (like our current aristocraty) and the consuls, who were controlled by the Senate. During this period, Rome started to conquer countries, such as Italy, Greece and Carthage (with the Punic Wars).

Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Senate and the Roman people) 


The apogee of the Roman civilisation was in the third era: the Roman Empire. After a period of civil war, Octavius became, in 27 BC, the first Emperor of Rome, with the name of Auguste. From this moment, the expansion of Rome is unstoppable and the limits even include the whole Mediterranean Sea.


The Roman territories (510 BC-530 AD)

However, the frontiers are too large to be correctly defended from the tentative of invasion of the barbarian people and inner problems are growing. In 300 AD, the Roman Empire is cut in half: the western Empire, with Rome as capital, and the eastern Empire, with Constantinople. Some barbarian invasions succeed, like the Goths and the Huns. The Roman legions aren't able to protect the Empire anymore. This leads to the fall of the western Empire in 476 BC.



Citations :
Homemade Timeline
http://www.rome-roma.net/frise-chronologique-rome-antique.html
http://www.rome-roma.net/histoire_rome.html
Photos from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome