• Rome is the capital city of Italy located on the river Tiber and is the only city to hold an independent country within its city limits, the Vatican City. Rome’s history goes back 2,800 years and is preserved in its Museums and ancient Monuments. The Historic Centre of Rome is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
• The city of Ancient Rome was founded on the 21st April 753 BCE and it went on to become the capital city of the Roman Republic (509-27 BCE) and the Roman Empire (27 BCE-476 CE).

History

Legend of Ancient Rome

• Romulus and Remus:
  • The Founding myth of the twin brothers Romulus and Remus.
• Ab urbe condita:
  • ‘From the founding of the City’ (of Rome, 21st April 753 BCE)
• List of Roman Kings:
  • Romulus became the first of Seven Kings of Rome.
• Virgil:
  • The Roman poet wrote the Aeneid  which bridged the gap between the Greek myth of the Fall of Troy and the Roman myth of Romulus and Remus.
• The Eternal City:
  • The Romans believed that Rome would last forever.
• Sibylline Books:
  • The books were consulted when Bad Omens or Natural Disasters required Religious Rites to be observed.
• Vestal Virgins:
  • They maintained the sacred fire in the Temple of Vesta, which was never allowed to be extinguished.
• The Four Periods of Ancient Rome (753 BCE-476 CE)
  • Kings of Ancient Rome (753-510 BCE)
  • Roman Republic (510-27 BCE)
  • Early Roman Empire (27 BCE-284 CE)
  • Late Roman Empire (284-476 CE)

Museums of Rome

• Vatican Museums
  • The Vatican Museums are located in the Vatican City, Rome.
  • The collection includes Roman Art and Renaissance Art and contains 70,000 works of which 20,000 are on display.
• Capitoline Museums
  • The Capitoline Museums are a Group of Art and Archeological Museums on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome.
• National Roman Museum
  • The National Roman Museum has four locations in the city of Rome and is dedicated to the history of Ancient Rome: the Palazzo Massimo alle terme, the Palazzo Altemps, the Crypta Balbi and the Baths of Diocletian.

The Attractions of Modern Rome

• • Piazza del Popolo
  • Piazza Navona
  • Sistine Chapel
  • Spanish Steps
  • Trevi Fountain
  • Victor Emmanuel II Monument
  • Villa Borghese Gardens

The Monuments of Ancient Rome

Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome:

• 1. Via Appia (312 BCE)
  2. Aqueducts of Ancient Rome (312 BCE-226 CE)
  3. Colosseum (81 CE)
  4. Circus Maximus (98-117 CE)
  5. Trajan’s Column (113 CE)
  6. Pantheon (128 CE)
  7. Baths of Caracalla (212-216 CE)

Civic Monuments:

• • Basilicas of Ancient Rome
  • Forums of Ancient Rome
  • Mint of Ancient Rome
  • Obelisks of Ancient Rome
  • Palaces of Ancient Rome
  • Porticos of Ancient Rome
  • Prisons of Ancient Rome

Triumphal Monuments:

• • Triumphal Arches of Ancient Rome
  • Triumphal Columns of Ancient Rome

Religious Monuments:

• • Altar of Ancient Rome
  • Catacombs of Ancient Rome
  • Cemeteries of Ancient Rome
  • Sacred Area of St. Omobono
  • Temples of Ancient Rome

Christian Monuments:

Rome is the second most important centre of Christianity after Jerusalem. St. Peter and St. Paul are the Patron Saints of Rome and are both buried here. They were both martyred in Rome either in 64 CE or 67 CE under Nero, according to the Annuario Pontifico (A List of all the Popes to date).

• • Basilica of St. John Lateran (c.324 CE)
    • This is the Cathedral of Rome built in c. 324 CE by Constantine I.
  • St. Peter's Basilica (1655 CE)
    • The current Basilica was completed in 1655 CE over the site of the original St. Peter’s Basilica which was built by Constantine I over the Tomb of St. Peter in 333 CE.
    • St. Peter is recognised by the Catholic Church as the first Bishop of Rome. St.Jude (Thaddeus) and Simon the Zealot are also buried there.
    • The Basilica is regarded as the holiest of shrines in the Catholic Church.
  • Basilica of St. Paul outside-the-Walls (San Paolo Fuori le Mura)
    • St. Paul is buried under the Basilica.

Hydraulic Monuments:

• • Aqueducts of Ancient Rome
  • Baths of Ancient Rome
  • Cloaca Maxima
  • Fountains of Ancient Rome

Leisure Monuments:

• • Amphitheatres of Ancient Rome
  • Campus Martius
  • Circuses of Ancient Rome
  • Gardens of Ancient Rome
  • Libraries of Ancient Rome
  • Statues of Ancient Rome
  • Theatres of Ancient Rome
  • Villas of Ancient Rome

Docks and Warehouses:

• • Docks of Ancient Rome
  • Emporium (Docks)
  • Porticus Aemilia (Warehouse)
  • Monte Testaccio (Amphorae Mountain)

Markets:

• • Markets of Ancient Rome

Roads:

• • Roads of Rome and Italy
    • The Roads radiating from Ancient Rome were all Ancient, but they only started being paved from 312 BCE onwards.
    • Vehicles had to follow the Roman Highway Code.
    • Traffic was only permitted to enter Rome at night.

Bridges:

• • Bridges of Ancient Rome
    • The Tiber was crossed by Ten Bridges.

Defensive Walls:

• • Servian Wall (c.378 BCE)
    • The first Wall and only vestiges remain.
  • Aurelian Walls (275 CE)
    • Although incomplete, this Wall is still standing in many locations around the city.
  • Defense of Ancient Rome

Marble Street Map:

• • Forma Urbis Romae
  • Maps of Ancient Rome

The Seven Hills:

• • Seven Hills of Rome

The Ports:

• • Ostia
  • Portus
  • Centumcellae
  • Puteoli

The Tiber:

• • The Tiber
  • Commerce of Ancient Rome
  • Porticus Aemilia.
  • Bridges of Ancient Rome.

Resort Towns of Ancient Rome

• Resort Towns of Ancient Rome
  • Baiae
  • Pompeii
  • Herculaneum
  • Lake Como
  • Lake Nemi
  • Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli

Other History:

Government:

• • Local Government of Ancient Rome
  • Districts of Ancient Rome
  • Population of Ancient Rome

Great Fire of Rome (64 CE)

• • Great Fire of Rome

Fire Brigade of Ancient Rome

• • Roman Fire Brigade

Police Force of Ancient Rome

• • Cohortes Urbanae

Sack of Rome

• • Brennius and the Sack of Rome (c.390 BCE)
  • First Sack of Rome (410 CE)
  • Second Sack of Rome (455 CE)
  • Third Sack of Rome (546 CE)

Movies Filmed in the Monuments of Ancient Rome

• • Angels and Demons (2009)
    • Director: Ron Howard with Tom Hanks and Ewen McGregor. It is the sequel to The Da Vinci Code (2006)
  • La Dolce Vita (1960)
    • Director: Federico Fellini
  • Roman Holiday(1953)
    • Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.
  • Quo Vadis (1951)
    • Director: William Wyler with Peter Ustinov as Nero.
  • The Bicycle Thieves (1948)
    • Director: Vittorio de Sica.

Cinecitta Studios

• Cinecitta Studios is located in Rome and is the largest film studio in Europe.
• Over 3,000 movies have been made at Cinecitta including ‘Roman Holiday’, ‘La Dolce Vita’ and ‘Ben Hur’.

Major Annual Events in Rome

• The city of Rome hosts a series of Annual Events which are held throughout the year:

Italian Menu Translator

• This is a translation of most of the words and phrases to be found on an Italian menu.

Rome Metro Stations

• Rome has three Metro Lines, Line A, Line B and Line C.

Rome