By Sadie York
Originating from a small town off of central Italy’s timber river, Ancient Rome grew to be one of history’s most influential and dominant civilizations. Rome is assumed to have been founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus. After killing his brother, Romulus ascended the throne and thus became the first king of Rome (named after himself). By around 300 B.C., the central political power of Rome was given to the Senate, which was limited to wealthy plebeian families and members of the patrician.
Rome is known for its military success through their cutthroat ability to expand. During the early republic, military hero Camillus led Rome to the claim of the entire Italian peninsula, and later through a series of battles against the northern African city-state Carthage. From this war, Rome gained the territories of Sicily, the western Mediterranean, Spain, and a section of Northern Africa. Due to these military conquests, Rome gradually became more diverse and thus, society grew in its cultural-richness.
Many claimed Rome under their rule, but the most notably corrupt of these leaders was Gaius Julius Caesar. Already possessing military glory in Spain, Caesar received three wealthy provinces to govern in Gaul. From there, conquering the rest of Rome was a simple small feat. By invading Italy, a civil war was started and Caesar came out of it as dictator of Rome for life. Soon after Caesar’s murder, Octavian (later changed to Augustus) became the first Roman emperor to the public, by restoring the political institutions of the previous republic. Augustus instilled morale within Rome, and following his long rule of 56 years, died being worshipped as a god.
The decline of the Roman empire began with the succession of Commodus, Marcus Aurelius’s 19-year old son. Marcus’s reign was dominated by conflicts involving Parthia, Armenia, and northern Germanic tribes. When handed down to Commodus, his incompetence caused his assassination at the hands of his own ministers, and a cycle of ongoing chaos over 22 emperors ensued.
The weight eventually gave in and Rome collapsed at the hands of their inner turmoil. Eventually, the bloated empire lost all their provinces and the Germanic prince Odovacar was proclaimed king of Italy, officially putting an end to the Roman Empire.