Traditional Rome was the biggest town in the then known world. It is thought that Rome’s population was over one million folks when the town was at the height of its power. From Rome, the guts of govt beat ; army calls were taken and the vast wealth Rome earned was invested in a chain of superb buildings.
To begin with, many buildings in Rome were built round the forum. Historically, this had been a market place and an area where folks met. Therefore , it would be a natural place to put government buildings, churches and palaces. As Rome grew , however , the forum became more crowded. Therefore , a second town centre was planned and built some distance from the forum but still in Rome itself.
Rome itself had some superb buildings erected in the town. Some exist to this day, all be it in a less wonderful state. The most famous is perhaps the Colosseum where thousands of Roman citizens would gather for their entertainment – be it animals fighting or gladiators for example. Such grand buildings were constructed so that emperors would be recalled by future generations. The Colosseum was built on the orders of the Emperor Vespasian and finished when the Emperor Titus was in power. The building was ultimately completed in AD 80.
Rome also had countless triumphal arches constructed throughout the town to celebrate army victories. These served adual purpose. First, they were a celebration of the army victories the Romans had and, 2nd, they used to be a reminder to the people of Rome of how forceful the army was.
As with any town, Rome had its poor and prosperous areas. The poor could only afford to live in wooden houses which were a major fire risk in a hot country like Italy. On a number of occasions, Rome suffered grim damage as a consequence of fires starting in the town’s slums. The slums were also deadly places to go to if you had any money as crime was very common. The Emperor Augustus made a police force to patrol the town but the poor areas remained all but untamed. However , for the influential folks of Rome, this was of tiny significance as they never visited such areas.
The decline of ancient Rome started from about AD 190. The Roman Empire was attacked by tribes like the Goths and the Vandals. Civil wars in parts of the empire further weakened the rule of Rome and respect for Roman law dwindled as a result.
Why was the empire attacked by cruel tribes people? Clans like the Goths wished to move south into parts of Europe that experienced a better climate that would aid their farming. This can only bring them into contest with the Romans. At about AD 190, Rome also experienced a succession of poor emperors who simply weren’t capable of doing the job.
Diocletian faced more than just administrative issues. Moreand more army defences had to be built across the whole empire. This cost money that Rome did not have. To pay for these, taxes were increased and extra coins were minted. This lead to inflation causing prices to rise. Therefore , the people of Rome were less than favourable towards those who led them.
With threats from tribes in northern Europe, financial Problems in Rome itself and a civilian population becoming moreand more discontented, Rome could unwell afford further major issues.
In AD 307, Constantine became emperor. He ruled from AD 307 to AD 337. Constantine was Rome’s first Christian emperor and he is regarded to once have been a robust ruler.
He believed that Rome as a town was too far away from critical areas of the empire to be valuable from a governmental level. Constantine,therefore , moved the capital of the empire to a new town – Constantinople. This was a new town that was built on the old town of Byzantium. Whatever the motives were, Constantine’s call was a poor one. Constantinople was much further east than Rome and forcefully in the eastern empire. This left the western empire extraordinarily exposed – though the eastern empire was barely free from attacks.
however , in AD 398, the leader of the Visigoths, Alaric, realised the Roman military was so thinly spread, that Rome itself was to have. Alaric moved cautiously south but in AD 410 he caught the town of Rome. The town was sacked. Roman held territory in Spain, France, northern Africa and England all slid to the assorted tribes that attacked them.
In AD 455, Rome got attacked again. This time the damage was done by the Vandals. The town suffered significant damage. In AD 476, the last Roman emperor in the west, Romulus Augustulus, was removed from power by Odovacar, leader of the Goths. This date is mostly employed by historians as the year the Roman Empire ended. However , Roman rule continued in the eastern empire for a number of years after this date – in modern Greece, Turkey, the Middle East and northern Egypt. Even if the ancient Rome fell, today it is a cosmopolitan city. If you like to see the old and modern parts of the city do not hesitate and book your Appartment Rome. All the Appartments Rome are a good starting point to make the most out of the city.