The Roman Empire
The Roman Empire, running from 27 B.C.E. to 476 C.E., was founded by two twin brothers, Romulus and Remus. A great legend and myth surrounds how they discovered the city. It is said that their mother, Rhea Silvia, became impregnated with the twins by the god Mars after having been sworn to chastity. After they were born, Amulius, Rhea Silvia's brother-in-law and enforcer of her chastity, had them sent down the river. The river carried them safely downstream, where they were adopted and cared for by a she-wolf. They remained ignorant of their human nature and true background until they were in their rough teens, when they left their mother wolf and were found by a farming couple. They raised them as men, and both boys proved to have natural leadership. Using these leadership skills, the boys gathered individual followers. Soon after, they learned where they had come from, and lead the people to Alba Longa, where they killed Amulius and restored the King to his throne. They decided to find their own city rather than inherit one, and so began their search.
There are two theories at this point. One is that the brothers wanted to start a city together, but when they couldn't chose between Palatine and Aventine Hill as a starting point, they fought and Remus was killed. The other theory is that Romulus started his own city on Palatine Hill, and Remus his on Aventine Hill. Both cities worked together and traded, but when Remus built a large wall around his city, Romulus became offended and killed Remus, along with destroying his city. After the destruction of his brother, Romulus named his new city Rome, after himself, and started to build up its power.
At its peak, the Roman Empire covered all the land directly surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. This included the areas in Europe, portions of Africa, and across Asia. They moved from a Republic to an Empire after appointing Julius Caesar as dictator. The Roman Empire ran from 27 B.C.E. to 476 C.E..
Romans wrote and spoke in Latin, not in Italian or Roman. Regarding Latin literature, three classic poets influenced the world: Vergil, who wrote a national epic, Aeneid, was influenced by the poems of Homer of Greece; Horace, who perfected lyrical meters in poetry; Ovid, a controversial erotic poet, who was exiled from Rome due to the fact that his poems, although popular, crossed the moral programme at the time. He then wrote a poem that stretched over fifteen books, all about Greek and Roman mythology from the creation of the world to the murder of Julius Caesar. His work became some of the most important in history.
There are two theories at this point. One is that the brothers wanted to start a city together, but when they couldn't chose between Palatine and Aventine Hill as a starting point, they fought and Remus was killed. The other theory is that Romulus started his own city on Palatine Hill, and Remus his on Aventine Hill. Both cities worked together and traded, but when Remus built a large wall around his city, Romulus became offended and killed Remus, along with destroying his city. After the destruction of his brother, Romulus named his new city Rome, after himself, and started to build up its power.
At its peak, the Roman Empire covered all the land directly surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. This included the areas in Europe, portions of Africa, and across Asia. They moved from a Republic to an Empire after appointing Julius Caesar as dictator. The Roman Empire ran from 27 B.C.E. to 476 C.E..
Romans wrote and spoke in Latin, not in Italian or Roman. Regarding Latin literature, three classic poets influenced the world: Vergil, who wrote a national epic, Aeneid, was influenced by the poems of Homer of Greece; Horace, who perfected lyrical meters in poetry; Ovid, a controversial erotic poet, who was exiled from Rome due to the fact that his poems, although popular, crossed the moral programme at the time. He then wrote a poem that stretched over fifteen books, all about Greek and Roman mythology from the creation of the world to the murder of Julius Caesar. His work became some of the most important in history.