Ancient Rome

The Roman Empire reached its height of power and prosperity during the reign of the Antonines, from AD 96 to 180, but after that there was growing disorder from within, with many emperors seizing power by force: from 235 to 284, 60 men were proclaimed emperor. Most of the men were army commanders whose troops named them emperor. The country was also attacked by barbarian tribes from the north: the Goths, a Germanic people, invaded Roman territory many times during the 200's, and the Persians overran Mesopotamia and Syria. Diocletian, a Roman general, was proclaimed emperor by his troops in 284 and to restore order, he divided the provinces into two smaller units, with its own government and army.

Christians suffered severe persecution during the 200's, with many Romans blaming them for causing the problems of that time by offending the traditional Roman gods. In 303, Diocletian forbade Christian worship, but after Constantine I was named emperor of Rome's western provinces in 306 and had defeated his major rival in a battle in 312, he claimed having had a vision promising victory if he fought under the sign of the cross; he granted the Christians freedom of worship and became the first Christian emperor. In 330 he moved his capital to Byzantium in the east, renaming the city Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey). By the late 300's, the empire was permanently split into the West Roman Empire and the East Roman Empire.

The West Roman Empire grew steadily weaker. Vandals, Visigoths, and other Germanic peoples invaded Spain, Gaul, and northern Africa and in 410, the Visigoths looted Rome. The fall of the empire is often dated 476 when the Germanic chieftain Odoacer forced Romulus Augustulus, the last ruler of the empire, from the throne. Germanic chiefs had already begun to carve up the empire into several kingdoms. The East Roman Empire survived as the Byzantine Empire until 1453, when the Turks captured Constantinople.

Today, the ruins of ancient buildings cover most of the Aventine, Caelian, and Palatine hills. After centuries of neglect and looting a lot of restoration work has uncovered many remains of buildings. One building still stands fully preserved: the Pantheon. But everywhere in this city, the Roman Empire is literally underneath your feet.

	Model of ancient Rome	Basilica of Maxentius	Ceasar's Forum	Trajan's Forum
	Arch of Septimius	Arch of Septimius	Temple and church	Baths of Caracalla
	Pantheon	Temple of Venus	Mosaic, Villa Adriana	Canopus, Villa Adriana

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