The Roman Empire

According to legend, twins Romulus and Remus were fathered by the war god Mars and born to a Latin princess. The Latin king at the time was afraid the twins might make claim to his throne so he had them put in a basket and set adrift on the Tiber River. The king assumed they would die.

One evening a tired Faustolo was sitting near the shed door and Laurezia was preparing a frugal meal. Suddenly they heard a rustle coming from the woods. Near the river a dark shadow slid down the bank. Faustolo decided to go and see what had happened. He told his wife to wait for him. He moved forward with caution, the ground near the river was full of puddles because of the recent rains. In one of these puddles at the foot of a tree, Faustolo saw a big she-wolf lying down on one side with two children sucking her milk. He thought he was dreaming. He went back to the shed and told his astonished wife about the she-wolf and the twins, and then he took her to the river. Some time later, the two children were sleeping in Faustolo and Laurezia's warm shed.

Upon growing up, the boys vowed to build a city where they had been abandoned as babies. Each brother chose a hill and became leader of a new city. Eventually quarrels broke out and Romulus killed Remus, leaving Romulus' hilltop, Palatine, the center of the new city called Rome.

Rome and its numerous centuries of history officially begin in 753 B.C. on the slopes of the Palatino hills, when the Etruscans and Greek colonies occupied areas nearby. Legend gave Romulus the paternity of the village. Rome, once a village, became the capital of an empire in a few centuries and, with the Punic Wars, the undisputed ruler of the Mediterranean Sea.

The territorial and population expansion called for a redefinition of leadership to the "republic", or the state. After the assassination of Caesar (44 B.C.) affluent men disputed over the next successor of the new regime-the princedom: Marco Antonio, Cleopatra's ally, or Caesar's adopted son Octavian, both of whom shared the rule after Caesar's death. The "princeps" (from primum caput" or "first citizen") founded an empire in a unified and peaceful order that lasted until the III century A.D.

•  Click here for a list of the successive emperors of Rome following Marco Antonio and Octavian.

Caesar

Caesar

It is said that one day the soldiers of Silla caught a young man who had been seen with his uncle Mario but who was not hanged because he was too young. That young man was Julius Caesar, who was to become one of the greatest generals of all ages, more famous than Alexander the Great and Hannibal. He conquered the whole of Gaul, Belgium, part of Switzerland and Germany and he also crossed the Channel, landing in Britain, today's England. Caesar ruled the Republic together with two other generals: Gneo Pompeo and Licinio Grasso, forming the Triumvirate, rule by three people. Unfortunately the agreement did not last long. Crasso died during a mission to Asia. Pompeo jealous of Caesar's fame for conquering Gaul, persuaded the Senate to declare him an enemy of his homeland and to remove him from the army leadership. The great conqueror, leading his loyal army, came back to Italy crossed the Rubicone, a river near Rimini that marked the border between the Roman Italy and Gaul and exclaimed: the die is cast! He marched on Pompeo.  The civil wars ended with the victory of Caesar and the death of Pompeo. Caesar became then a dictator for life, he ruled wisely and did not take revenge as Silla.  He was friend of his people and gave many lands to his soldiers and to the poor, he built bridges, roads and waterworks. Some Senators feared he wanted to become king so they layed a plot and had him killed in the Senate. The people afflicted and angry for the death of their leader, rebelled against the conspirators who then had to flee from Rome. It was the year 44 B.C.

Octavian

Octavian

After the death of Caesar, the civil wars broke out again, until his adopted son called Ottaviano, defeated his rivals and became Emperor. We do not speak anymore of Republic but of Empire. When the Senate gave Ottaviano the title of Augustus, that means divine, the Romans venerated him as a God. Augustus ruled for about fifty years, it was a period of peace and happiness for Rome. Agriculture, arts and literature flourished and Rome became the most beautiful town.  New canals were built to drain marshes, waterworks and bridges were built, and fortifications were erected along the borders. The most important monument of this period is the Ara Pacis Augustea, that is the peace Altar of Augustus completely made of marble. Many important roads were also built that today still have the same name: Via Appia, Via Aurelia, Via Flaminia. Usage, customs and laws of Rome spread everywhere. Augustus not only devoted himself to the cultural renaissance of Rome, but one of his greatest merits was to organize the administrations of the Provinces, in the past too much exploited by bad governors. He abolished the office of governor and sent state officials to the provinces payed with a fixed wage: other officials were employed in the tax collection, whose amount was constantly controlled. In this flourishing society, just during the reign of August, at Bethlehem, in Palestine, Jesus Christ was born.

Titus

The successor of Vespasian was his son Titus, who during the reign of his father had conquered and destroyed Jerusalem. He ruled only two years, from 79 to 81 A.D., was a very good emperor and opened the Colosseum to the public. Unfortunately during his reign in 79 a terrible event happened: Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the towns of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabia.

Trajan

Trajan

He was the first emperor coming from a province, in fact he came from ancient Spain. A man of great value, he distinguished himself both as commander and as wise and fair ruler. Aware of the condition of poor people, he gave food subsidies for poor families. He was also clement with the Christians even if in that period they were looked upon with suspicion.  He ordered his ministers to condemn them only if they broke the law and not just because they were Christians. As commander he gained great fame for the conquest of Dacia.  In two battles he defeated the leader of the Dacians, Decebalo, who at the end committed suicide. His great deed is told on a monument, precious for its bas-relief: the Trajan's Column. He died in 117, in Asia Minor while coming back from a war against the Parthians, after a reign of 19 years.

Hadrian

Hadrian

Hadrian, cousin of Trajan had been left in Asia by Trajan to lead the troops and then adopted by him as his successor. Hadrian wanting to grant a long period of peace for the now too vast empire, renounced all the territories conquered by Trajan beyond the river Euphrates, considering it a border easier to defend. Then he marked out the boundaries in the extreme north, in Britain, where he built the famous Vallum Hadriani (Hadrian's Walls) and also reinforced the borders along the Rhine river. It was his conciliatory policy with neighbouring states that granted a durable peace. He preferred to come to a pacific agreement instead of using violence. Hadrian could thus devote himself to works of peace: he built Hadrian's Tomb or Castel Sant' Angelo and the Pantheon. His name is linked to the Perpetual Edict, a code written by the jurist Salvo Giuliano. He was called the tourist emperor, because he travelled throughout the empire, without neglecting his duties as Head of State. He visited many towns and monuments and bought back to Italy many works of art which he used to adorn his villa.

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was the successor chosen by the Emperor who ruled from the death of Hadrianin 138 to161. He was born in Rome but he was of Spanish origins. He is very famous in History, because he was the last Roman monarch who can be considered a philosopher. With a great sense of responsibility he accepted his duties as a Statesman and military leader even though unfamiliar roles for him. He defeated the Parthians and threw out the Quadi and the Marcomanni, two German populations who had crossed the borders. Just during the war against the Marcomanni, he fell victim to a serious epidemic in 180 at Vindibona (Vienna). In Rome the Column of Marcus Aurelius was erected in his honor. Its sculpted surface tells the story of his military exploits.

Constantine

Constantine

Costantine was elected emperor by his soldiers without respect for the tetrarchia, leading to a war which ended six years later with the battle of Ponte Milvio (312) in which he defeated his rival Massenzius. Costantine was the author of a great event, he promulgated the Edict of Milan in 313, with which he recognized the right to profess the Christian religion and put a definite end to the persecutions. Another event was the foundation of a new town: Costantinople. It rose on the Bosphorus on the site of the ancient greek colony of Byzantium. It was inaugurated with a big feast in 330 when it became the Oriental capital of the Roman Empire. As to politics he accepted the reform of Diocletian, even though he ruled as sole emperor having killed his colleague Licinius.

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