At the Top of the Hill

It would become one of the world's greatest empires. But in the beginning, it was just a city on one of Italy's many hills.

Near the Tiber River, Rome began as a monarchy in the eighth century BC, when it was founded by a mostly agricultural tribe called the Latini.

Though early Rome had an agrarian-based economy, its location between Campania and Etruria, as well as the Tiber, lent itself easily to a future in commerce.

In the sixth century BC, Rome became a republic, complete with written laws. These laws, The Laws of the Twelve Tables, were carved in bronze in the fifth century BC and were followed by other laws. A society of law-abiding citizens was born.

Rome's greatest obstacle helped it reap some of its greatest rewards. The young empire was often involved in conflicts with neighboring civilizations. Could a young city atop a hill become a military strength? Indeed, this city could. By winning wars with neighboring city-states, Rome succeeded in becoming powerful. By the end of the third century BC, Rome was the envy of the world's other strong military powers: Carthage, Egypt, Syria and Macedonia.

Though rivals, Carthage and Rome made a friendship treaty in the sixth century BC. By 306 BC, Rome was given control over Italy and Carthage assumed power over Sicily. The friendship, though, would not last and in 146 BC, Rome destroyed Carthage. Rome had transformed itself from a culture of farmers to one of warriors.

After destroying and assuming control of many cities, Rome's greatest conquest was that of capturing Greece during the three Macedonian Wars (215-146 BC). Greece had occupied Italy for more than 700 years, but was no match for the city that seemed to be taking over the world. Overpowering Greece affected the development of Roman civilization perhaps more than any other victory as the city inherited much of the Greek culture and traditions. The Hellinization of Rome changed the society and customs of the city, while giving Rome control over the legacy of Greek philosophy and religion for the centuries to come.

As Rome became a more aggressive conqueror, greatly expanding its borders, its form of government changed, too. In the first century BC, Rome transformed its own government again. Its republican form of government changed briefly to a dictatorship, and then back to a democratically-structured leadership, similar to a modern president-led republic, though it remained a combination of different types of governments.

Led by Augustus between 27 BC and 14 AD, the city of Rome finally became the Roman Empire. At this point, Rome had existed for almost three-quarters of a millennium. The Roman Empire, however, had only begun.

The new Roman Empire was a republic, but also included elements of a monarchy. Sometimes leadership positions were elected; other times, they were inherited.

The Roman Empire's military and political power would last several hundred years into the new millennium, before collapsing as a practical form of government in 395 AD and completely in the fifth century AD.

Augustus sought to better Rome's governmental structure during his forty-year reign. He worked toward improvements in the administration, justice and military branches of the Roman Empire's government. Though Augustus improved the government, the golden days of Rome were behind and less than a couple of hundred years would separate the glory of Rome from its eventual downfall.

Though Rome was always at the heart of the Empire, serving as its capital, it, too, eventually was transferred to Constantinople at the beginning of the fourth century AD when the Roman Empire underwent radical economic and political changes. As the Empire moved from its base as an agrarian society, the Rome imported more goods than it produced, weakening its own economy.

Whereas it had once been said that all roads led to Rome, by the Empire's end, the truth was that most roads led somewhere else. People moved away from the city, choosing, instead, small towns. The social structure of the once great empire was forever changed and the Roman Empire chapter in the history books came to an end.

Today, Rome is not an empire, but it is still regarded as one of the great cities of the world, hosting many relics and artifacts of a civilization that once was the most powerful of them all.