Rome

At the center of the Roman empire was the capital city of Rome. From the eighth century B. C. to the first century A. D. Rome grew from a collection of sheepherders' huts to an enormous city.

Rome was built on Palatine, one of the seven hills that lay east of the Tiber River. The Etruscans lived in Rome during the early days of the empire. They were the first people to plan and lay out Rome's city streets and build its sewers. In the early fifth century B. C. Rome was divided into four distinct regions:

  • Suburana

  • Esquiline

  • Collina

  • Palatine

Peasants met at the center of these four regions to exchange goods. This meeting place became known as the forum. The forum was an open space surrounded by markets, government buildings, and temples.

After the Etruscans, the growth in Rome was completely unorganized until Julius Caesar ruled from 59 to 44 B. C. He developed a detailed plan which was carried out by Augustus and his son-in-law Agrippa. At this time the city was divided into fourteen districts.

The Forum Romanum Roman Forum

Photo courtesy and ©1997  Leo Curran,  Maecenas: Images of Ancient Greece and Rome

Julius Caesar had a new forum built at the foot of the Capitoline Hill. In the center of the forum was the Temple of Venus Genitrix. Later Augustus had two other forums built.

In 64 A. D. Rome was destroyed by a large fire. The city had to be rebuilt from scratch. By the second century more that 1,200,000 people lived in Rome.

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