Ancient Rome History Facts
The ancient Roman Empire was one of the world's great civilizations. Every kid reads in their history books about the great emperors, gladiators, wars, and the eventual fall of this amazing civilization. The purpose of this site is to provide interesting information about ancient Rome history facts. You will find lists of facts about its famous people, architecture, wars, battles, government, who they conquered, and what caused their fall. All this information will be provided in a factual list format for easy reading.Interesting Ancient Rome Facts
- This amazing civilization dates back to the 8th century BC where from it's humble beginnings as a small village on the Italian Peninsula it expanded to become one the largest and most powerful civilizations the earth has ever seen. It lasted for nearly twelve centuries.
- Legend has it that Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus and Remus. According to the legend they were raised by a she wolf.
- During Rome's height the empires population reached (by some estimates) ninety million and it controlled approximately 2.5 million square miles (6.5 million square kilometers).
- At the center of the ancient Roman Empire was the city of Rome.
- The ancient Roman population made great strides forward in such areas as government, architecture, literature, art, engineering, military strategy, and weapons.
- Roman women were not allowed to vote or participate in politics. However they eventually gained the right to own property.
- Some of these ancient peoples architectural achievements included amazing buildings like the Roman Colosseum, beautiful monuments like The Arch of Constantine, and incredible roads like the Appian Way.
- In 330 C.E. Roman emperor Constantine split the empire into two parts. The Western Roman Empire kept Rome as its capital where as the Eastern Roman Empire was based in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) and became known as the Byzantine Empire.
- The fall of Rome was really the fall of the Western Roman Empire. There are many opinions on why and when the empire really came to an end however it is generally considered to be in 476 A.D. when the Germanic warrior Odoacer deposed the last Western Roman emperor.
- The Eastern Roman Empire lasted for many centuries beyond the fall of the Western Empire controlling different areas of Europe.
Ancient Rome Facts - Government
- Rome was originally a monarchy ruled by Kings. This lasted for approximately 250 years.
- The last king of Rome was Tarquin the Proud who lost power in 510 BC.
- The kings that originally ruled ancient Rome were eventually ousted and replaced by a republic oligarchy which means political power was limited to only a segment of the people (not all the people). The Republic, although going through many changes, ruled Rome from around 510 BC to 45 BC.
- Ancient Rome's republic form of government was the blueprint by which many of the world's current democracies have been built, for example the United States and the UK.
- The republic had elected leaders, a balance of powers, and written laws. However only the wealthy aristocrats could be elected.
- The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC marked the end of the Roman republic. His adopted son Augustus became Rome's first emperor in 27 BC.
ANCIENT ROME HISTORY FACTS