An Overview of Roman History

Founding of Rome The myth: Two brothers, Romulus and Remus, were raised by a she-wolf in a forest near the Tiber river The two brothers founded cities and argued over which hill to use Lupa (wolf) Feeding Romulus And Remus

Fratricide and Romulus King In the argument, Romulus killed Remus and names his city Alba Longa. This city will be called Rome after his death Romulus becomes the 1st King of Rome as it is founded on April 21st 753 B.C.

Rape of the Sabine Women Soldiers flock to the new settlement with families, but there are too few women to start a nation Romulus leads soldiers in a raid called the “Rape of the Sabine Women.” The Latins take the Sabine women back to Rome and found their city/nation

753-509 The Monarchy Romulus is the first of 7 Kings of Rome The Romans do not like the prospect of a king, called “Rex” or “Tyrannus” in Latin, and wish to overthrow the Monarchy

The Rape of Lucretia The son of Tarquinius Superbus, the 7th and last king of Rome, is named Sextus Tarquinius. Sextus forcibly rapes a chaste woman of nobility, Lucretia, and the people rise up and throw the corrupt King out of Rome. This begins the Republican Revolution

509-27 BC The Republic The Republic is governed by a Senate with 2 Consuls (presidents) elected every year to head the government

44 B.C. Caesar In 44 B.C., a Roman general named Gaius Julius Caesar marches on Rome and declares himself “dictator” or ruler On March 15th, 44 BC, Caesar is assassinated by his best friend Brutus and conspirators. This begins a period of civil war

27 BC Octavian/Augustus Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian, declares himself Caesar Augustus, the First Emperor of Rome

Rise of the Empire What follows is a period known as the “Pax Romana” or Roman peace. Augustus expands the Empire, now ruled by one appointed Emperor, to new heights

The Height of the Empire: 2nd Century AD In the 2nd century AD, the Empire rules all of Europe, including Britain, some of Africa, and some parts of Asia The last of the “good” emperors, Marcus Aurelius, dies The Empire begins to decline due to political infighting

The Divide Constantine becomes co-emperor in the 4th century and divides the Empire into West and East. The center of the East empire becomes known as Constantinople (Byzantium)

476 AD: The Fall The Western, traditional Roman Empire falls when Rome is invaded by barbarians. Most of Rome is burnt to the ground. Knowledge of science, math, reading, languages, and arts are lost This leads to the period in European history known as the Dark Ages, or Medieval Period

Renaissance: The Rebirth From the 14th-17th century, Europeans rediscover lost texts of Greek and Roman writers. This leads to a reinvention of technology, art, democracy, and literature The Classical period (Greek and Roman) affects the development of the world hereafter