By tradition, Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC, by Romulus, who killed in the process his twin brother named Remus. This date was the basis for the Roman calendar and the Julian calendar (Ab urbe condita). Romulus and Remus were allegedly sons of the godMars and the priestess Rea Silvia, daughter of Numitor, king of Albalonga. The boys were abandoned to save them from the hate of Amulius, a pretender to Albalonga's throne, and taken care of by a she-wolf, even today one of the symbols of Rome. Romulus later killed Remus and became the first ruler of Rome. See also founding of Rome
Rome was built on the Sun hill, which was later named Palatine, and extended to include the seven hills:
The Roman civilisation developed the Latin language, its official language and one of the fundamental elements in linguistics, and the source of the Romance languages. It is to this day the official language of the Catholic Church and the Vatican.
64 - Great fire of Rome: A fire starts on July 18 in the area of Circus Maximus and soon burns completely out of control while Emperor Nero reportedly plays his lyre and sings while watching the blaze from a safe distance.
96-192 - greatest territorial extension of the Empire, under Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian and the Antoninii
324 - Constantinople (New Rome) founded. The city would later supersede Rome and take over its role as seat of the Roman Empire.
454 - Following the death of Valentinian III, the Vandals invade Rome, extensively looting it, and carry off several of Valentinian's surviving family as hostages
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogoths ruled the city from their capital at Ravenna. The Eastern Roman Empire, ruled by Justinian I, captured Rome in 536. In 546, the Ostrogoths under Totila recaptured and sacked the city. The Byzantine general Belisarius recaptured Rome but the Ostrogoths took it again in 549. Belisarius was replaced by Narses, who captured Rome from the Ostrogoths for good in 552.
Eastern Roman EmperorJustinian I (reigned 527 - 565) regularly granted Rome the subsidy needed for the maintenance of public buildings, aqueducts and bridges. He also styled himself the patron of its remaining scholars, orators, physicians and lawyers in the stated hope that in time more youths would seek for a better education. However the city was only the seat of a prefect while the center of Byzantine authority in Italy was moved to Ravenna.
The reign of his nephew and successor Justin II (reigned 565 - 578) would see the invasion of the Lombards under Alboin (568). By capturing the regions of Benevento, Lombardy, Piedmont,Spoleto and Tuscany, the invaders effectively restricted imperial authority to small islands of land surrounding Ravenna, Naples, Rome and the various port cities. In 578 and again in 580, the restoredRoman Senate had to ask for the support of Tiberius II Constantine (reigned 578 - 582) against the approaching dukes Favoald of Spoletto and Zotvo of Benevento.
Maurice I (reigned 582 - 602) added a new factor in the continuing conflict by creating an alliance with Childebert II of Austrasia (reigned 575 - 595). The armies of the Frankish King invaded the Lombard territories in 584, 585, 588 and 590. Meanwhile Rome was safe and several cities, including Mantua were recovered by the Eastern Roman army. However the new Lombard King Agilulf (reigned 591 to c. 616) managed to secure peace with Childebert, reorganized his territories and resumed activities against both Naples and Rome by 592. With the Emperor preoccupied with wars in the eastern borders and the various succeeding Exarchs unable to secure Rome from invasion, Pope Gregory I (term 590 - 604) took a personal initiative of starting negotiations for a peace treaty. It was completed during the Autumn of 598 and was only after recognized by Maurice. But it would last till the end of his reign.
Rome soon became the capital city of the Papal States, the territorial entity ruled by the Papacy that would last until 1870, when Italy was unified by the former king of Sardinia. During this long period Rome became the worldwide centre of Christianity and increasingly developed a relevant political role that made it one of the most important towns of the Old Continent.
In art, although Florence became the center of humanism and the Rinascimento (Renaissance), Rome was the center of baroque, and architecture deeply affected its central areas.
In the 16th century a central area was delimited around Portico d'Ottavia, for the creation of the famous Roman Ghetto, an area which the Jews were forced to live in.
Some of the most famous views of Rome in the 18th century were etched by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. His grand vision of classic Rome inspired many to visit the city and examine the ruins themselves.
The Roman urban form reflects the stratification of the succeeding epochs, with a wide historical center; this today contains many areas from Ancient Rome, very few areas from Quattrocento (mainly around piazza Farnese), and lots of churches and palaces from baroque times. The historical centre is identified as within the limits of ancient imperial walls. Some central areas were reorganised after the unification (1880-1910 - Roma Umbertina), and some important additions and adaptations made during the fascism, with the discussed creation of Fori Imperiali and the founding of new quartieri (among which Eur, San Basilio, Garbatella, Cinecittà and, on the coast, the restructuring of Ostia) and the inclusion of bordering villages (Labaro, Osteria del Curato, Quarto Miglio, Capannelle, Pisana, Torrevecchia, Ottavia, Casalotti). These expansions were needed to face the huge increase of population due to the centralisation of the Italian state.
During WWII Rome suffered some heavy bombings (notably at San Lorenzo fuori le Mura) and battles (Porta San Paolo, La Storta) and was considered an "open town" (as in the film by Roberto Rossellini). Rome fell to the Allies on June 4, Source | Copyright
