Rome

Roman A city on the Tiber River in west central Italy, which by the first millennium b.c., had grown into a major urban center and the seat of an empire that surrounded the Mediterranean Sea and reached as far north as the British Isles. Rome's beginnings are hidden behind many myths and legends. According to the most common myth, Rome was founded by Romulus on April 21, an event celebrated in ancient times by the festival of Parilia, the festival of Pales. The year of that event is reported by some ancient sources as between 772 and 754 b.c. Other legends tell of the founding of the city by the descendants of Aeneas, the Greek hero who settled in central Italy after the end of the Trojan War. Archaeological evidence shows very early settlements built by farming people on or near the seven famous hills that formed the center of the city that became Rome. The first hill people settled appears to have been the Capitoline Hill. Archaeologists have discovered some of the oldest temples to the supreme Roman god, Jupiter, on this hill. According to legend, it was on this hill that Romulus founded his city. The next hill that settlers developed was the nearby Palatine, 1,250 yards to the southeast of the Capitoline Hill. Legend says that Evander, a leader from the Arcadia region of ancient Greece, settled this hill even before Romulus was born. Rulers, citizens, and cult followers also built sites of worship on the Quirinal Hill, 2,100 yards to the north-northwest of the Capitoline Hill, and the Aventine Hill, 2,500 yards to the south of Capitoline Hill. Rome's other three hills are the Viminal, Esquiline, and Caelian. The community of Rome grew surrounded by the lands of many different cultures which, over time, interacted with and then became part of the Roman culture. No more than 20 miles to the northwest was Etruria, a region more than a kingdom, whose religions strongly influenced the people of Rome. The Sabines lived about 25 miles to the northeast. Twentyfive miles to the southeast lived the Latini people who gave their name to the language that came to dominate central Italy, Latin. Rutuli lay 20 miles to the south. According to legend, Rome's earliest rulers were kings, some of them rulers of nearby regions, who were honored over time as great heroes. One such was Latinus, king of the Latini people. The last king, Tarquinius Superbus, who ruled from 534 to 510 b.c., at first refused the books of prophecy offered him for sale by the Sibyl of Cumae. After she had destroyed the first six books, he realized the worth of the last three and bought them at the price of the original nine. During this time, also, Greek mythology began influencing the religions of the people of Rome and the surrounding areas, primarily through contact with Greek colonies in southern Italy and on the island of Sicily. This process of influence by the cultures of Greece is known as Hellenization. After this era, the people of Rome rejected kingship as a form of government and turned to a representative republic, whereby each year the people chose two chief executives to govern the city. At this time, too, Rome's history becomes a matter of authentic records available for modern study. During the Republic era (510 to 264 b.c.), Rome extended its rule to most of central Italy through military force. Romans also conquered many of the Greek colonies and brought those lands into their nation.