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In modern historiography, ancient Rome encompasses the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC, the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC), Roman Republic (509–27 BC), Roman Empire (27 BC– 395 AD), and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD.

Ancient Rome began as an Italic settlement, traditionally dated to 753 BC, beside the River Tiber in the Italian Peninsula. The settlement grew into the city and polity of Rome, and came to control its neighbours through a combination of treaties and military strength. It eventually controlled the Italian Peninsula, assimilating the Greek culture of southern Italy (Magna Grecia) and the Etruscan culture, and then became the dominant power in the Mediterranean region and parts of Europe. At its height it controlled the North African coast, Egypt, Southern Europe, and most of Western Europe, the Balkans, Crimea, and much of the Middle East, including Anatolia, Levant, and parts of Mesopotamia and Arabia. That empire was among the largest empires in the ancient world, covering around 5 million square kilometres (1.9 million square miles) in AD 117, with an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants, roughly 20% of the world's population at the time. The Roman state evolved from an elective monarchy to a classical republic and then to an increasingly autocratic military dictatorship during the Empire.

Ancient Rome is often grouped into classical antiquity together with ancient Greece, and their similar cultures and societies are known as the Greco-Roman world. Ancient Roman civilisation has contributed to modern language, religion, society, technology, law, politics, government, warfare, art, literature, architecture, and engineering. Rome professionalised and expanded its military and created a system of government called res publica, the inspiration for modern republics such as the United States and France. It achieved impressive technological and architectural feats, such as the empire-wide construction of aqueducts and roads, as well as more grandiose monuments and facilities. (Full article...)

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The Roman Empire is generally understood to mean the period and territory ruled by the Romans following Octavian's assumption of sole rule under the Principate in 27 BC, the post-Republican state of ancient Rome. It included territories in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia and was ruled by emperors. The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD conventionally marks the end of classical antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages.

By 100 BC, Rome had expanded its rule to most of the Mediterranean and beyond. However, it was severely destabilized by civil wars and political conflicts, which culminated in the victory of Octavian over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and the subsequent conquest of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt. In 27 BC, the Roman Senate granted Octavian overarching power (imperium) and the new title of Augustus, marking his accession as the first Roman emperor of a monarchy with Rome as its sole capital. The vast Roman territories were organized into senatorial provinces, governed by proconsuls who were appointed by lot annually, and imperial provinces, which belonged to the emperor but were governed by legates. (Full article...)

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Roman art Romulus and Remus Roman currency Roman emperor Roman legion Marian reforms Toga King of Rome Praetor Roman censor Tribune Roman dictator Roman people Roman Republic Punic Wars Roman law Roman technology Culture of ancient Rome Patrician (ancient Rome) Conflict of the Orders Roman economy Military of ancient Rome Roman aqueduct Legacy of the Roman Empire Pax Romana Fall of the Western Roman Empire Western Roman Empire Latium Roman Kingdom History of the Roman Empire Latin Women in ancient Rome Tabula Peutingeriana Languages of the Roman Empire Slavery in ancient Rome Colosseum Karamagara Bridge Roman Forum Ancient Roman architecture Food and dining in the Roman Empire Ancient Rome and wine Gladiator Clothing in ancient Rome Roman amphitheatre Ancient Roman sarcophagi Roman sculpture Roman glass Ancient Roman pottery Religion in ancient Rome Ab Urbe Condita Libri First Punic War Roman temple of Bziza Chariot racing Emesa helmet Inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre Roman–Persian Wars Late Roman army Roman–Parthian War of 58–63 History of the Constitution of the Roman Republic History of the Roman Constitution Third Punic War Constitution of the Roman Republic Galatian War Gothic War (535–554) Crisis of the Roman Republic List of Roman emperors Roman Britain Hoxne Hoard Structural history of the Roman military Astronomica (Manilius) Cento Vergilianus de laudibus Christi Annales (Ennius) Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant Historia Augusta Roman Dacia Senate of the Roman Republic Legislative assemblies of the Roman Republic

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General images

The following are images from various ancient Rome-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Triumph of Neptune floor mosaic from Africa Proconsularis (present-day Tunisia) (from Roman Empire)
Image 2The Wedding of Zephyrus and Chloris (54–68 AD, Pompeian Fourth Style) within painted architectural panels from the Casa del Naviglio (from Roman Empire)
Image 3Togate statue in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale d'Abruzzo (from Roman Empire)
Image 4The so-called Primavera of Stabiae, perhaps the goddess Flora (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 5Eighteenth century painting by Pompeo Batoni depicting Aeneas fleeing from Troy. Aeneas carries his father. (from Founding of Rome)
Image 6Fresco of a seated woman from Stabiae, 1st century AD (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 7Winged Victory, ancient Roman fresco of the Neronian era from Pompeii (from Roman Empire)
Image 8A segment of the ruins of Hadrian's Wall in northern England, overlooking Crag Lough (from Roman Empire)
Image 9Sestertius issued under Hadrian circa AD 134–138 (from Roman Empire)
Image 10Capitoline Wolf, sculpture of the she-wolf feeding the twins Romulus and Remus, the most famous image associated with the founding of Rome. According to Livy, it was erected in 296 BC. (from Founding of Rome)
Image 11Workers at a cloth-processing shop, in a painting from the fullonica of Veranius Hypsaeus in Pompeii (from Roman Empire)
Image 12Still life on a 2nd-century Roman mosaic (from Roman Empire)
Image 13Wall painting (1st century AD) from Pompeii depicting a multigenerational banquet (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 14On the Ludovisi sarcophagus (from Roman Empire)
Image 15Silver cup, from the Boscoreale Treasure (early 1st century AD) (from Roman Empire)
Image 16Roman portraiture fresco of a young man with a papyrus scroll, from Herculaneum, 1st century AD (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 17A late Republican banquet scene in a fresco from Herculaneum, Italy, c. 50 BC; the woman wears a transparent silk gown while the man to the left raises a rhyton drinking vessel (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 18Plato's Academy mosaic from Pompeii (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 19Relief panel from Trajan's Column in Rome, showing the building of a fort and the reception of a Dacian embassy (from Roman Empire)
Image 20Reconstructed peristyle garden based on the House of the Vettii (from Roman Empire)
Image 21Slave holding writing tablets for his master (relief from a 4th-century sarcophagus) (from Roman Empire)
Image 22Dressing of a priestess or bride, Roman fresco from Herculaneum, Italy (30–40 AD) (from Roman Empire)
Image 23Glass cage cup from the Rhineland, 4th century (from Roman Empire)
Image 24Excavation on the Palatine Hill has found the foundations of a hut believed to correspond to the Hut of Romulus, which the Romans themselves preserved into late antiquity (from Founding of Rome)
Image 25The Zliten mosaic, from a dining room in present-day Libya, depicts a series of arena scenes: from top, musicians; gladiators; beast fighters; and convicts condemned to the beasts (from Roman Empire)
Image 26Mosaic depicting a theatrical troupe preparing for a performance (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 27Mosaic from Pompeii depicting the Academy of Plato (from Roman Empire)
Image 28A fresco from Pompeii depicting the foundation of Rome. Sol riding in his chariot; Mars descending from the sky to Rhea Silvia lying in the grass; Mercury shows to Venus the she-wolf suckling the twins; in the lower corners of the picture: river-god Tiberinus and water-goddess Juturna. 35–45 AD. (from Founding of Rome)
Image 29The Barbarian invasions consisted of the movement of (mainly) ancient Germanic peoples into Roman territory. Historically, this event marked the transition between classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. (from Roman Empire)
Image 30A fresco from Herculaneum depicting Heracles and Achelous from Greco-Roman mythology, 1st century CE (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 31Musicians playing a Roman tuba, a water organ (hydraulis), and a pair of cornua, detail from the Zliten mosaic, 2nd century AD (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 32Trio of musicians playing an aulos, cymbala, and tympanum (mosaic from Pompeii) (from Roman Empire)
Image 33A fresco portrait of a man holding a papyrus roll, Pompeii, Italy, 1st century AD (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 34A green Roman glass cup unearthed from an Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD) tomb in Guangxi, China (from Roman Empire)
Image 35Marble relief of Mithras slaying the bull (2nd century, Louvre-Lens); Mithraism was among the most widespread mystery religions of the Roman Empire. (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 36Solidus issued under Constantine II, and on the reverse Victoria, one of the last deities to appear on Roman coins, gradually transforming into an angel under Christian rule (from Roman Empire)
Image 37Toga-clad statue, restored with the head of the emperor Nerva (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 38The Temple of Saturn, a religious monument that housed the treasury in ancient Rome (from Roman Empire)
Image 39Aquae Sulis in Bath, England: architectural features above the level of the pillar bases are a later reconstruction. (from Roman Empire)
Image 40Cinerary urn for the freedman Tiberius Claudius Chryseros and two women, probably his wife and daughter (from Roman Empire)
Image 41The Flavian Amphitheatre, more commonly known as the Colosseum (from Roman Empire)
Image 42Public toilets (latrinae) from Ostia Antica (from Roman Empire)
Image 43Landscape resulting from the ruina montium mining technique at Las Médulas, Spain, one of the most important gold mines in the Roman Empire (from Roman Empire)
Image 44Forum of Gerasa (Jerash in present-day Jordan), with columns marking a covered walkway (stoa) for vendor stalls, and a semicircular space for public speaking (from Roman Empire)
Image 45Fragment of a sarcophagus depicting Gordian III and senators (3rd century) (from Roman Empire)
Image 46Reconstruction of a wax writing tablet (from Roman Empire)
Image 47A victor in his four-horse chariot (from Roman Empire)
Image 48Head of Constantine the Great, part of a colossal statue. Bronze, 4th century, Musei Capitolini, Rome. (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 49The Pantheon in Rome, a Roman temple originally built under Augustus, later converted into a Catholic church in the 7th century (from Roman Empire)
Image 50The administrative divisions of the Roman Empire in 395 AD (from Roman Empire)
Image 51The Roman Empire under Hadrian (ruled 117–138) showing the location of the Roman legions deployed in 125 AD (from Roman Empire)
Image 52The Roman Empire by 476, noting western and eastern divisions (from Roman Empire)
Image 53The Tabula Peutingeriana (Latin for "The Peutinger Map") an Itinerarium, often assumed to be based on the Roman cursus publicus (from Roman Empire)
Image 54Roman cities in the Imperial period (from Roman Empire)
Image 55Circus Maximus, a mass entertainment venue located in Rome (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 56Antoninus Pius (r. 138–161) wearing a toga (Hermitage Museum) (from Roman Empire)
Image 57Western Europe during its Middle Bronze Age, with the Apennine Culture in blue (from Founding of Rome)
Image 58Statue in Constanța, Romania (the ancient colony Tomis), commemorating Ovid's exile (from Roman Empire)
Image 59Recreation of a deer hunt inspired by hunting scenes represented in Roman art. (from Roman Empire)
Image 60Finely decorated Gallo-Roman terra sigillata bowl (from Roman Empire)
Image 61Pride in literacy was displayed through emblems of reading and writing, as in this portrait of Terentius Neo and his wife (c. 20 AD) (from Roman Empire)
Image 62Bread stall, from a Pompeiian wall painting (from Roman Empire)
Image 63Cityscape from the Villa Boscoreale (60s AD) (from Roman Empire)
Image 64Fragmentary military diploma from Carnuntum; Latin was the language of the military throughout the Empire (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 65Augustus of Prima Porta (from Roman Empire)
Image 66Gold earrings with gemstones, 3rd century (from Roman Empire)
Image 67All-male theatrical troupe preparing for a masked performance, on a mosaic from the House of the Tragic Poet (from Roman Empire)
Image 68So-called "Bikini Girls" mosaic from the Villa del Casale, Roman Sicily, 4th century (from Roman Empire)
Image 69A teacher with two students, as a third arrives with his loculus, a writing case (from Roman Empire)
Image 70A 3rd-century funerary stele is among the earliest Christian inscriptions, written in both Greek and Latin. (from Roman Empire)
Image 71Aeneas's route in Virgil's Aeneid. The epic poem was written in the early first century BC. (from Founding of Rome)
Image 72Romulus and Remus on the House of the She-wolf at the Grand Place of Brussels (from Founding of Rome)
Image 73Funerary urn of the Villanovan culture, precursor to Etruscan civilization (from Founding of Rome)
Image 74Eggs, thrushes, napkin, and vessels (wall painting from the House of Julia Felix, Pompeii) (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 75A bust of Cicero, Capitoline Museums, Rome (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 76A multigenerational banquet depicted on a wall painting from Pompeii (1st century AD) (from Roman Empire)
Image 77Model of archaic Rome, 6th century BC (from Founding of Rome)
Image 78Condemned man attacked by a leopard in the arena (3rd-century mosaic from Tunisia) (from Roman Empire)
Image 79The Colosseum in Rome (from Culture of ancient Rome)
Image 80The Pont du Gard aqueduct, which crosses the river Gardon in southern France, is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. (from Roman Empire)

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Solidus of Marcian

Marcian (/ˈmɑːrʃən/; Latin: Marcianus; Greek: Μαρκιανός Markianos; c. 392 – 27 January 457) was Roman emperor of the East from 450 to 457. Very little of his life before becoming emperor is known, other than that he was a domesticus (personal assistant) who served under the commanders Ardabur and his son Aspar for fifteen years. After the death of Emperor Theodosius II on 28 July 450, Marcian was made a candidate for the throne by Aspar, who held much influence because of his military power. After a month of negotiations Pulcheria, Theodosius' sister, agreed to marry Marcian. Zeno, a military leader whose influence was similar to Aspar's, may have been involved in these negotiations, as he was given the high-ranking court title of patrician upon Marcian's accession. Marcian was elected and inaugurated on 25 August 450.

Marcian reversed many of the actions of TheodosiusII in the Eastern Roman Empire's relationship with the Huns under Attila and in religious matters. Marcian almost immediately revoked all treaties with Attila, ending all subsidy payments to him. In 452, while Attila was raiding Roman Italy, then a part of the Western Roman Empire, Marcian launched expeditions across the Danube into the Great Hungarian Plain, defeating the Huns in their own heartland. This action, accompanied by the famine and plague that broke out in northern Italy, allowed the Western Roman Empire to bribe Attila into retreating from the Italian peninsula. (Full article...)

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Tacitus Nero Tiberius Sejanus Marcus Aurelius Faustina the Younger Julius Caesar Antoninus Pius Augustus Diocletian Domitian Elagabalus Basiliscus Maximian Retiarius Caligula Hadrian Romulus Augustulus Avidius Cassius Caracalla Britannicus Constantius III Constantine III (Western Roman Emperor) Drusus Caesar Drusus Julius Caesar Early life of Marcus Aurelius Florianus Gaius Caesar Germanicus Glycerius Halotus Claudius Herennius Etruscus Hostilian Justinian I Lucius Caesar Tiberius Julius Alexander Tiberius Gemellus Gaius Antonius Hybrida Reign of Marcus Aurelius Cicero Trajan

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Did you know?

...That according to Suetonius, Caligula "often sent for men whom he had secretly killed, as though they were still alive, and remarked offhandedly a few days later that they must have committed suicide"?
...That Mark Antony, who avenged Julius Caesar, was killed by Julius Caesar's grand nephew (Octavian) Augustus Caesar?
...That Sulla's grave read No friend ever surpassed him in kindness, and no enemy in ill-doing?
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The Villa of the Mysteries (Italian: Villa dei Misteri) is a well preserved ruin of a Roman Villa which lies some 400 metres northwest of Pompeii, southern Italy. In this fresco from the villa, a Bacchian rite is depicted.

Photo credit: The Yorck Project

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The following WikiProjects are related to Ancient Rome:

WikiProject Classical Greece and Rome: The project regularly invites its members to collaborate on article development.
WikiProject Rome: Includes stylistic help and lists of articles requiring attention or expansion.
WikiProject Military history: Highly-active WikiProject with regular competitions to improve military history articles.

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Quotes

“

[...] Caesar is a god in his own city. Outstanding in war or peace, it was not so much his wars that ended in great victories, or his actions at home, or his swiftly won fame, that set him among the stars, a fiery comet, as his descendant. There is no greater achievement among Caesar's actions than that he stood father to our emperor. Is it a greater thing to have conquered the sea-going Britons; to have led his victorious ships up the seven-mouthed flood of the papyrus-bearing Nile; to have brought the rebellious Numidians, under Juba of Cinyps, and Pontus, swollen with the name of Mithridates, under the people of Quirinus; to have earned many triumphs and celebrated few; than to have sponsored such a man, with whom, as ruler of all, you gods have richly favoured the human race? Therefore, in order for the emperor not to have been born of mortal seed, Caesar needed to be made a god. [...]

Augustus, his 'son', will ensure that he ascends to heaven as a god, and is worshipped in the temples. Augustus, as heir to his name, will carry the burden placed upon him alone, and will have us with him, in battle, as the most courageous avenger of his father's murder. Under his command, the conquered walls of besieged Mutina will sue for peace; Pharsalia will know him; Macedonian Philippi twice flow with blood; and the one who holds Pompey's great name, will be defeated in Sicilian waters; and a Roman general's Egyptian consort, trusting, to her cost, in their marriage, will fall, her threat that our Capitol would bow to her city of Canopus, proved vain.

Why enumerate foreign countries or the nations living on either ocean shore? Wherever earth contains habitable land, it will be his: and even the sea will serve him!

”

— Ovid, Metamorphoses, XV, 745–842

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