Origins and Rise of Rome

Rome was a peninsula in southern Europe; the roman people conquered many of the territories in Italy. There is no exact date in when Rome was founded, so it is so much for the legend. Historically, Latium and Etruria were crucial in the development of Rome into an autonomous and then an independent city state, though it is not known for certain where the original Latins and Etruscans came from. The Latins who first settled on the Palatine Hill, however, had been in the region since about 1000 BC. Many modern lands were once part of the Roman Empire including Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Egypt and the north coast of Africa and their language was Latin.

The Goverment Phases

The Roman Kingdom - 753BC to 509BC

The Roman Kingdom began with the city's founding; in 753BC the settlement of Rome was founded by Romulus, around the Palatine Hill and along the river Tiber in Central Italy. After the settlement was built he permitted men of all classes to come to Rome as citizens, including slaves and freemen without distinction. To provide his citizens with wives, Romulus invited the neighbouring tribes to a festival in Rome where he abducted the young women. Once the city was stable Romulus selected 100 of the noblest men to form the Roman senate as an advisory council to the king.

The kingdom of Rome ended with the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. Lucius used intimidation and violence to maintain control of the population, and as a result the people revolted, subsequently resulting in the end of the Roman Kingdom.

The Roman Republic - 509BC to 27BC

The Roman Republic began in 509BC, where the king was replaced with a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and advised by the Senate. A complex constitution gradually developed, based on the principles of separation of powers. Except in times of dire national emergency where a dictator would be elected to guide the nation out of trouble.

The Republic of Rome ended in 27BC with the first settlement, which made Augustus the first emperor of Rome.

The Roman Empire - 27BC to 476AD

The Roman Empire began in 27BC when Augustus became the first emperor and declared the 'princeps', which simply meant that he would become the leading citizen. The Empire of Rome would last a staggering 503 years before falling to barbarian invasions.

The End of Roman Empire

The fall of Rome occurred not because of one single factor but dozens of individual factors. These include an economic meltdown, barbarian invasions and political instability. The main cause to all of these issues is that the Empire had become too big to control and manage effectively. The economy was suffering due to a multitude of reasons. In 410AD the Visigoths sacked Rome, looting, burning, and pillaging their way through the city, leaving only a trail of destruction. These invasions meant that Rome's territories were shrinking, and thus there was a lower tax income. Civil war was becoming a consistent occurrence, mainly because there was no clear cut succession policy to the throne.

 

Roman Buildings

Roman architecture was unbelievably advanced compared to other civilizations of the time. Example of Roman architecture include the Coliseum, Circus Maximus, the aqueducts, Roads, Bridges and many more. Although the Romans did develop and design many of their own structures, they were heavily influenced by Greek and Etruscan architecture. They would have used relatively simple materials including stone, brick, cement, concrete and marble.

 

 

Roman Heritage

The Roman Empire was one of the largest, most powerful and influential Empires the World has ever seen. The Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site reveals the epic story of Rome’s rise and fall – grand tales of Imperial ambition, personal dramas, political intrigue and commercial exploitation on a scale not seen until modern times.
The sites and museums along Hadrian’s Wall – the most magnificent and best preserved of Rome’s great frontiers, reveals these stories through state of the art galleries, each with its own compelling tales, illustrated with stunning objects set in the dramatic frontier landscape of Hadrian’s Wall Country.
There is a part of the Hadrian’s Wall Country for every visitor, from the stunning reconstructed Roman buildings, family friendly museums and dramatic cityscape of Tyneside, through the classic wild landscapes around Vindolanda and Housesteads, the inspiring and family friendly modern museums and typical Roman forts of Carlisle and north Cumbria, to the amazing seascapes and wildlife of the west coast.