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Most people know the legend of how Rome was founded when Rea Silvia, a vestal virgin and daughter of a local king, Numitor, had twin sons after being raped by the God Mars. Instead of sacrificing them to the God she hid them and they were found and nursed by a wolf. They were called Romulus and Remus by the Shepard to found and raised them. Romulus killed Remus when they quarrelled on who should rule the city and he became the city's first king in 753 BC hence the name Rome. From here there are facts to support that Rome lasted as a kingdom until about 507 BC, when the people rose up against the tyrant King Tarquinius and established a Republic. By the 3rd century BC, the city had begun to extend its influence beyond the mainland of what is now Italy into Africa and Carthage. In 146 BC, it fought and won the third Punic War against its principal rival, Carthage and became the dominant power in the Mediterranean, and so the empire of Rome was born. From all of the great films Ben Hur, Gladiator much is known, if in a somewhat distorted manner, of the Roman empire at this time. Rome is the city where you can really relive this. Most will know of the great emperors during this period, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Trajan and Hadrian. The decline of Rome started with the emperor Diocletian, who assumed power in 284 and divided the empire into two parts, east and west, which divided the power and weakenend the empire giving Constantine who cam to power in 312 and was the first Christian ruler moved the seat of power to Byzantium in 330 and so ended Rome's position as capital of the world. The city was saved by becoming of the Christian world when the Bishop of Rome was named the successor to Saint Peter, or Pope. The great basilica of San Pietro was built in his honour along with Santa Croce and Santa Maria Maggiore During the French Revolution of the 16th century the pope lost power to Napoleon when he marched into Italy but Rome became capital when the country united in 1870 and thus was born the independent country of the Holy See when the Pope had to find a new home over the river. |