AP - Rise of Rome Practice

The state of Ancient Rome was centred on the city of Rome. At its peak in 117 CE, the Roman Empire was the most powerful political and social entity in Western civilisation. The empire had become too large to be ruled by Rome's central authority by 285 CE, so Emperor Diocletian (284-305 CE) divided it into two empires: the Western and the Eastern.

Ancient Rome is a word used in historiography to define Roman culture from the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD, covering the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC), Roman Republic (509–27 BC), and Roman Empire (27 BC–476 AD). Let us study ancient Rome, the rise and fall of an empire, and more concepts from it here.

Overview of the Ancient Rome

Let us take a look at ancient Rome and the rise and fall of an empire.

Rome has to be regarded as one of history's most successful imperial powers. Rome expanded from a little town on the Tiber River in central Italy to a vast empire that comprised England, all of continental Europe west of the Rhine and south of the Danube, the bulk of Asia west of the Euphrates, northern Africa, and the Mediterranean islands over the centuries. The Romans, unlike the Greeks, excelled in military, political, and social institutions. During the republic, a strong military ethos ruled Roman culture.

While this helps to explain war, it does not explain Rome's imperial authority. Unlike Greek city-states, which banned foreigners and subjected peoples to political involvement, Rome incorporated conquered peoples into its social and political system from the beginning. Allies and subjects who adopted Roman customs were granted Roman citizenship in the end. Persons from the Mediterranean realm outside Italy occupied seats in the Senate and even the imperial throne during the principate.

The geographic distribution of the Romance languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian), all of which evolved from Latin, the Romance language, demonstrates the short effects of Roman power in Europe. The Western alphabet, which has 26 letters, and the calendar, which has 12 months and 365.25 days, are just two examples of Rome's cultural legacy to Western civilisation.

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Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum, Rome.

Origins of Rome

According to the legend, Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, the god of war, established Rome in 753 B.C. A king of nearby Alba Longa left the twins to die in a basket on the Tiber in 753 B.C., but they were rescued by a she-wolf and went on to challenge that ruler and found their own city on the river's banks. Following the murder of his brother, Romulus goes out to kill his brother. Following the murder of his brother, Romulus became the first king of Rome, which bears his name. In a non-hereditary succession, a sequence of Sabine, Latin, and Etruscan (earlier Italian civilizations) kings followed.

Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martius, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus (Tarquin the Elder), Servius Tullius, and Tarquinius Superbus, or Tarquin the Proud, are the seven legendary kings of Rome (534-510 B.C.). All kings following Romulus were elected by the Senate, despite the fact that they were referred to as "Rex," or "King" in Latin.

The overthrow of Rome's seventh king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, in 509 B.C. marked the end of the monarchy's era, which ancient historians portrayed as cruel and tyrannical in comparison to his benevolent predecessors. The rape of a virtuous noblewoman, Lucretia, by the king's son is claimed to have sparked a popular uprising. Whatever the reason, Rome shifted from monarchy to republic, a world based on res publica, or "people's property."

The "seven hills of Rome"— Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Aventine Hill, Capitoline Hill, Quirinal Hill, Viminal Hill, and Caelian Hill — were built on seven hills.

History of Ancient Rome

Let us start the history of ancient Rome with its early republic period.

The Early Republic

The monarch's power was given to two consuls, who were elected every year. They also contributed their services as army commanders in chief. Despite being elected by the people, the magistrates were generally drawn from the Senate, which was dominated by patricians or descendants of the original senators from Romulus' time. The early republic's politics was characterised by a long struggle between patricians and plebeians (common people), who did gain political power after years of concessions from patricians, including their own political entities, the tribunes, with the power to initiate or veto legislation.

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The first Roman law code, known as the Twelve Tables, was inscribed on 12 bronze tablets and publicly displayed in the Roman Forum about 450 B.C. These laws included legal procedure, civil rights, and property rights, and they served as the foundation for all subsequent Roman civil law. By roughly 300 B.C., Rome's genuine political power had been centred in the Senate, which was entirely made up of patrician and wealthy plebeian families.

Roman Architecture

The architects and engineers innovations of the Romans have made a lasting impression on the modern world. Aqueducts, which were first built in 312 B.C., enabled cities to grow by carrying water to them and improving public health and sanitation. Some Roman aqueducts carried water up to 60 miles from their source, and the Trevi Fountain in Rome still uses an updated version of a Roman aqueduct.

Ancient structures like the Colosseum and Roman Forum are still standing strong today due to Roman cement and concrete. Roman arches, also known as segmented arches, were developed to improve on prior arches in constructing strong bridges and structures by evenly distributing weight throughout the structure.

The Roman Empire, which spanned over 1.7 million square miles at its peak, was able to stay connected thanks to the most advanced roadways in the ancient world. Mile markers and drainage, for example, appeared to be modern-looking innovations. By 200 B.C., over 50,000 miles of road had been built, with many of them continuing in use today.

Roman Practices

Out of several roman practices, a few of them are listed below:

• Religious Festivals

• Animal and Human Sacrifice

• Numina

• The Romans Copied the Greek Gods

• Superstition in Roman Religion

• The Romans Worshiped Many Different Gods

• Funerals and the Afterlife

• Prayers, Vows, and Oaths

Ancient Rome Facts

A few of the ancient Rome facts can be listed as follows:

• Two brothers were raised by a she-wolf and built Rome.

• The Ancient Romans had many different gods and goddesses that they worshipped.

• For boat combat, the Romans would sometimes flood the entire Colosseum or Circus Maximus.

• The city of Rome was built underground.

Did you Know?

After Constantine made Christianity Rome's official religion, Emperor Julian — known as the Apostate — attempted to revive the pagan cults and temples of the previous four decades, but the process was reversed after his death, and Julian was the last pagan emperor of Rome.