and the country's largest and most populated city and comune
, with over 2.7 million residents in 1285.3 square kilometre. The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula
, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy
.
Rome's history
spans two and a half thousand years. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom
, the Roman Republic
and the Roman Empire
, which was the dominant power in Western Europe
and the lands bordering the Mediterranean for over seven hundred years from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD.
753 BC Romulus and Remus founded Rome (traditional date).
509 BC The temple of Jupiter on Rome's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September.
64 Great fire of Rome: a fire begins to burn in the merchant area of Rome and soon burns completely out of control.
69 Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, but rules for only three months before committing suicide.
69 Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of emperor.
250 Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Pope Fabian is martyred.
275 In Rome, (after the assassination of Aurelian), the Senate proclaims Marcus Claudius Tacitus Emperor.
350 Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators.
350 Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the usurper Magnentius, in Rome).
455 Sack of Rome: The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks
472 After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor '''Anthemius''' is captured in the Old St. Peter's Basilica and put to death.
536 Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city, returning the old capital to its empire.
The story of Romulus and Remus|Romulus and Remus being suckled by a wolf is not a meaningless fable. The founders of every State which has risen to eminence have drawn their nourishment and vigor from a similar wild source. It was because the children of the Empire were not suckled by the wolf that they were conquered and displaced by the children of the Northern forests who were.
The traveler who has contemplated the ruins of ancient Rome may conceive some imperfect idea of the sentiments which they must have inspired when they reared their heads in the splendor of unsullied beauty.