Summary
Rome began as a small city in Italy and came to build one of the greatest empires in history, surrounding the whole Mediterranean. It went through three forms of government: first a Monarchy, then a Republic —governed by the Senate and elected consuls— and finally an Empire, led by an emperor, from Augustus onwards.
The Romans were great engineers: they built roads, aqueducts, bridges, theatres and amphitheatres like the Colosseum, many still standing. They left us their language, Latin, from which Spanish, Catalan, French and Italian derive, and their law, the basis of many present-day laws. The Western Empire fell in the year 476, and with it the Ancient Age ended.
Key points
- Rome went from being a city to ruling the whole Mediterranean.
- Three stages: Monarchy, Republic and Empire.
- In the Republic the Senate and the consuls governed.
- The Empire began with Augustus, the first emperor.
- Great engineers: roads, aqueducts and the Colosseum.
- Latin is the origin of Spanish, Catalan, French and Italian.
- The Western Empire fell in 476 (the end of the Ancient Age).