Origin of Rome
Rome was said to be founded in 754 BC by two twin boys named Romulus and Remus. These two boys were abandoned by their parents, but were said to be cared for and suckled by a she-wolf. Archaeologists have discovered that life in Rome had actually begun in the 9th or 8th century BC as a series of small farmsteads on a group of hills overlooking the River Tiber. Early Rome houses such as the so-called "Hut of Romulus", were preserved as a pattern of postholes on the Palentine. This hut would of had walls of wattle and daub, and thatched roofs. This settlement was intelligently positioned, as it was overlooking a convenient crossing point on the Tiber and near a important salt route to and from the river mouth.
A critical development came in the late 7th century BC, when an Etruscan dynasty, the Tarquins, took control of Rome and changed it from a village and into a city. The Forum valley was then converted into a public square with a gravel paved surface. Pons Sublicius a wooden bridge was thrown across the River Tiber, as well as an Etruscan-style temple to Jupiter Capitolinus build on the Capitol. There may also have benn an agger, or city wall, with a defensive ditch beyond it. This is the oldest defence which survives today, the Servian Wall, which dates back from the 4th century BC.
Roman historians state that the Romans evicted their last Etruscan king, Tarquin the Proud, in 510 BC, and became a republic governed by a pair of annualy elected magistrates, the consuls. It was a huge step, the first step which was to take Rome in less than five centuries from small Italian town to the giant of the Mediterranean.
Though it would seem that the Julii first came to Rome in the reign of Tullus Hostilius, the name occurs in Roman legend as early as the time of Romulus. It was Proculus Julius who was said to have informed the sorrowing Roman people, after the strange departure of Romulus from the world, that their king had descended from heaven and appeared to him, bidding him tell the people to honor him in future as a god, under the name of Quirinus. Some modern critics have inferred from this, that a few of the Julii might have settled in Rome in the reign of the first king; but considering the entirely fabulous nature of the tale, and the circumstance that the celebrity of the Julia gens in later times would easily lead to its connection with the earliest times of Roman story, no historical argument can be drawn from the mere name occurring in this legend.
In the later Empire, the distinction between praenomen, nomen, and cognomen was gradually lost, and Julius was treated much like a personal name, which it ultimately became. The Latin form is common in many languages, but other familiar forms exist, including Giulio (Italian), Julio (Spanish), Jules (French), Júlio (Portuguese), Iuliu (Romanian) and Юлий (Russian).
Date
Event
753 BC
Rome is founded
Rome was founded by Romulus. Romulus was the first of the seven Roman kings. The original name of Rome was Roma.
509 BC
Rome becomes a Republic
The last king is expelled and Rome is now ruled by senators. There is a constitution with laws and Rome becomes a complex republican government.
218 BC
Hannibal invades Italy
Hannibal leads the Carthage army to attack Italy. This becomes part of the Second Punic War.
45 BC
Julius Caesar becomes the first dictator of Rome
Julius Caesar defeats Pompey in a civil war. He becomes the supreme ruler of Rome. This is the end of the Roman Republic. He hires Sosigenes, an Egyptian astronomer, to work out a new 12 month calendar.
44 BC
Julius Caesar is assassinated
Julius Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March by Marcus Brutus. They hope to bring back the republic, but civil war breaks out instead.
27 BC
Roman Empire begins
Octavius appoints himself "Augustus", which means the first emperor.
64
Much of Rome burns
Nero set fire to Rome and blames the Christians for it.
80
Colosseum is built
The Colosseum was built in 80 AD. The completion of the Colosseum was celebrated with 100 days of games. The Romans invade Scotland.
122
Hadrian Wall is built
The Hadrian Wall was built in 122 AD. It was a long wall built across northern England in an effort to keep the barbarians out.
306
Constantine becomes Emperor in 306 AD
Rome becomes a Christian empire. Before this, Rome persecuted the Christians. Constantius dies. His son Constantine is the new vice-emperor of Galerius.
380
Christianity
Theodosius I proclaims Christianity as the sole religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD.
395
Rome splits
In 395 AD, Rome split into two empires - the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. Each side had a ruler in charge of it. The Roman Empire was split by Theodosius.
410
The Visigoths sack Rome
This was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome has fallen to an enemy. It was a huge uproar.
476
End of the Western Roman Empire and the fall of Ancient Rome
The last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus is defeated by the German Goth Odoacer. This is the start of the Dark Ages in Europe.
1453
The Byzantine Empire ends
The Byzantine Empire comes to an end as it falls to the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople in 1453 A.D. It is renamed Istanbul in 1930.
The House of Brutii
The House of Brutii is one of three Roman factions. They represent the Brutii political family.
The Brutii start in southern Italy with the settlements of Croton and Tarentum. They are tasked by the Senate with conquering Macedon and Greece on the Balkan Penninsula directly east of their home territory.
In 509 BC Lucius Lunius Brutus created the Roman Republic. Also from this family was one of Caesar killer's born- Marcus Junius Brutus.
Brutus is a cognomen of the Roman gens Junia, a prominent family of the Roman Republic. The plural of Brutus is Bruti, and the vocative form is Brute, as immortalized in the quotation "Et tu, Brute?", from Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar.
Notable ancient Romans with this cognomen include:
Lucius Junius Brutus — traditional founder of the Republic, whose sons were:
Tiberius Junius Brutus
Titus Junius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger — Julius Caesar's friend and most famous assassin.
Marcus Junius Brutus the Elder, the father of the aforementioned assassin.
Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus — commander and another one of Caesar's assassins.
Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus — commander and consul of Hispania Ulterior from 138 BC to 136 BC.
the cognomen (/kɒɡˈnoʊmɛn/,[1][2] Latin: [koːŋˈnoːmen]; Latin plural cōgnōmina; con- "together with" and (g)nōmen "name") refers to the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name (the family name, or clan name) in order to identify a particular branch within a family or family within a clan. Outside of this particular use of the word, the term has taken on a variety of other meanings in the contemporary era.
History of war|: tragedy in Carrhae
In History
Carrhae was a battle that need not have happened. It was the success of Julius Caesar in Gaul that led Licinius Crassus, a rival for power, to move against the Parthians: Caesar was doing rather too well. Crassus had been a member of the First Triumvirate with Caesar and Pompey and then a consul with Pompey. His achievements were in danger of being overshadowed. In 55 BC Crassus went to Syria - a province he had been given when the spoils of the Empire were divided up - with war on his mind. The Parthian Empire to the east was an opportunity for glory and even greater wealth, although his desire for war was completely unnecessary and probably beyond his skills to manage. To be fair to Crassus, he was an adequate general rather than a great commander like Caesar and Pompey. He probably knew he owed his place in the Triumvirate to his enormous wealth. There also have to be some doubts in Julius Caesar's true motives in writing to Crassus urging him to go to war.
Parthian Cataphracts preparing to ambush the Roman cavalry
In 53 BC he got his war but foolishly rejected local advice and marched directly towards the Parthian heartland: he had been advised to attack through the mountains of Armenia. The legions crossed the Euphrates at Zeugma, pressed eastwards, but on hearing the Parthians were near, Crassus reformed the army into a massive marching square. An army of horse archers and cavalry under the inspiring commander Surenas then confronted him. As the Roman infantry stood firm, the Parthians began the battle with a cacophony of beating drums to dishearten their enemies. Then the arrow storm started...
The Parthians captured and executed Crassus. He was probably the wealthiest man in the Roman world, and the Parthians poured molten gold down his throat. They also slaughtered the Roman standards, including legionary eagles, wounded and took the survivors into captivity.
Scipii Faction
The Scipii are one of the factions in Rome .
Being one of the three Roman families, the House of the Scipii will receive missions from the Senate, and will be forced to deal with the consequences of not completing them.
The Scipii are another of the Roman factions and they have the ability to abolish the Carthaginians that make their cities in Africa. They are somewhat different from the other factions, appreciating the old-world elements of Greece. The Scipii start with a small hold in Italy, but have the power to expand outward to the sea.
Their goals are to gain honor and dominate Rome under their supreme rule.
The Scipii start out as a wealthy Roman family, but with a few problems. They're not as respected as the other Roman factions and therefore don't start out with much. However, tasked with eliminating the Carthaginians, they have a vast goal that would elevate them into the hearts of all Romans.
In the House of Scipii, powerful Roman legionaries and cavalry can be trained for the glory of the Senate. Strengths in infantry outweigh that of horse legions, but they are a well-rounded faction, capable of nothing but total domination.
At a certain point during their times, the Senate will demand that The Head of Scipii commit suicide. If they will accepts their demand, the heir will become the faction leader and the process will be renewed several years later. If the scipii refuses, it will initiate a Civil War, . It should be noted that, once the House of Scipii's popularity with the people is high enough, the player can simply initiate the Civil War by attacking another Roman faction. The Scipii Romans begin with control of two settlements, Capua on the Italian mainland and Messana in north-eastern Sicily.
The Scipii initially have a hard time in the campain. They are the only faction whose first settlement, they are ordered to take, will initiate a war. However, they start out with more troops compared to the other families, and in the later stages of the time can dominate other factions with their vastly superior fleet units.
Mirmillo Gladiators: Every Roman faction has its own unique type of gladiator, and the Mirmillo Gladiators are the ones that are available to the Scipii.
Corvus Quinquireme: A battleship that is slightly more powerful than a regular quinquireme. Becomes available when a player builds a temple to Neptune in the capital city.
Deceres - The most powerful battleship available to any nation. available once it is builds a Pantheon to Neptune.
Into the Scipii family was born one of the most famous world commander and Hannibal Barca's defeater - Publius Cornelius Scipio.
House of Julii
The gens Julia or Iulia was one of the most ancient patrician families at Ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the consulship was Gaius Julius Iulus in 489 BC. The gens is perhaps best known, however, for Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator, and grand uncle of the emperor Augustus, through whom the name was passed to the so-called Julio-Claudian dynasty of the 1st century AD. The nomen Julius became very common in imperial times, as the descendants of persons enrolled as citizens under the early emperors began to make their mark in history.
Rome was said to be founded in 754 BC by two twin boys named Romulus and Remus. These two boys were abandoned by their parents, but were said to be cared for and suckled by a she-wolf. Archaeologists have discovered that life in Rome had actually begun in the 9th or 8th century BC as a series of small farmsteads on a group of hills overlooking the River Tiber. Early Rome houses such as the so-called "Hut of Romulus", were preserved as a pattern of postholes on the Palentine. This hut would of had walls of wattle and daub, and thatched roofs. This settlement was intelligently positioned, as it was overlooking a convenient crossing point on the Tiber and near a important salt route to and from the river mouth.
A critical development came in the late 7th century BC, when an Etruscan dynasty, the Tarquins, took control of Rome and changed it from a village and into a city. The Forum valley was then converted into a public square with a gravel paved surface. Pons Sublicius a wooden bridge was thrown across the River Tiber, as well as an Etruscan-style temple to Jupiter Capitolinus build on the Capitol. There may also have benn an agger, or city wall, with a defensive ditch beyond it. This is the oldest defence which survives today, the Servian Wall, which dates back from the 4th century BC.
Roman historians state that the Romans evicted their last Etruscan king, Tarquin the Proud, in 510 BC, and became a republic governed by a pair of annualy elected magistrates, the consuls. It was a huge step, the first step which was to take Rome in less than five centuries from small Italian town to the giant of the Mediterranean.
Though it would seem that the Julii first came to Rome in the reign of Tullus Hostilius, the name occurs in Roman legend as early as the time of Romulus. It was Proculus Julius who was said to have informed the sorrowing Roman people, after the strange departure of Romulus from the world, that their king had descended from heaven and appeared to him, bidding him tell the people to honor him in future as a god, under the name of Quirinus. Some modern critics have inferred from this, that a few of the Julii might have settled in Rome in the reign of the first king; but considering the entirely fabulous nature of the tale, and the circumstance that the celebrity of the Julia gens in later times would easily lead to its connection with the earliest times of Roman story, no historical argument can be drawn from the mere name occurring in this legend.
In the later Empire, the distinction between praenomen, nomen, and cognomen was gradually lost, and Julius was treated much like a personal name, which it ultimately became. The Latin form is common in many languages, but other familiar forms exist, including Giulio (Italian), Julio (Spanish), Jules (French), Júlio (Portuguese), Iuliu (Romanian) and Юлий (Russian).
Date
Event
753 BC
Rome is founded
Rome was founded by Romulus. Romulus was the first of the seven Roman kings. The original name of Rome was Roma.
509 BC
Rome becomes a Republic
The last king is expelled and Rome is now ruled by senators. There is a constitution with laws and Rome becomes a complex republican government.
218 BC
Hannibal invades Italy
Hannibal leads the Carthage army to attack Italy. This becomes part of the Second Punic War.
45 BC
Julius Caesar becomes the first dictator of Rome
Julius Caesar defeats Pompey in a civil war. He becomes the supreme ruler of Rome. This is the end of the Roman Republic. He hires Sosigenes, an Egyptian astronomer, to work out a new 12 month calendar.
44 BC
Julius Caesar is assassinated
Julius Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March by Marcus Brutus. They hope to bring back the republic, but civil war breaks out instead.
27 BC
Roman Empire begins
Octavius appoints himself "Augustus", which means the first emperor.
64
Much of Rome burns
Nero set fire to Rome and blames the Christians for it.
80
Colosseum is built
The Colosseum was built in 80 AD. The completion of the Colosseum was celebrated with 100 days of games. The Romans invade Scotland.
122
Hadrian Wall is built
The Hadrian Wall was built in 122 AD. It was a long wall built across northern England in an effort to keep the barbarians out.
306
Constantine becomes Emperor in 306 AD
Rome becomes a Christian empire. Before this, Rome persecuted the Christians. Constantius dies. His son Constantine is the new vice-emperor of Galerius.
380
Christianity
Theodosius I proclaims Christianity as the sole religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD.
395
Rome splits
In 395 AD, Rome split into two empires - the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. Each side had a ruler in charge of it. The Roman Empire was split by Theodosius.
410
The Visigoths sack Rome
This was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome has fallen to an enemy. It was a huge uproar.
476
End of the Western Roman Empire and the fall of Ancient Rome
The last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus is defeated by the German Goth Odoacer. This is the start of the Dark Ages in Europe.
1453
The Byzantine Empire ends
The Byzantine Empire comes to an end as it falls to the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople in 1453 A.D. It is renamed Istanbul in 1930.
The House of Brutii
The House of Brutii is one of three Roman factions. They represent the Brutii political family.
The Brutii start in southern Italy with the settlements of Croton and Tarentum. They are tasked by the Senate with conquering Macedon and Greece on the Balkan Penninsula directly east of their home territory.
In 509 BC Lucius Lunius Brutus created the Roman Republic. Also from this family was one of Caesar killer's born- Marcus Junius Brutus.
Brutus is a cognomen of the Roman gens Junia, a prominent family of the Roman Republic. The plural of Brutus is Bruti, and the vocative form is Brute, as immortalized in the quotation "Et tu, Brute?", from Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar.
Notable ancient Romans with this cognomen include:
Lucius Junius Brutus — traditional founder of the Republic, whose sons were:
Tiberius Junius Brutus
Titus Junius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger — Julius Caesar's friend and most famous assassin.
Marcus Junius Brutus the Elder, the father of the aforementioned assassin.
Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus — commander and another one of Caesar's assassins.
Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus — commander and consul of Hispania Ulterior from 138 BC to 136 BC.
the cognomen (/kɒɡˈnoʊmɛn/,[1][2] Latin: [koːŋˈnoːmen]; Latin plural cōgnōmina; con- "together with" and (g)nōmen "name") refers to the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name (the family name, or clan name) in order to identify a particular branch within a family or family within a clan. Outside of this particular use of the word, the term has taken on a variety of other meanings in the contemporary era.
History of war|: tragedy in Carrhae
In History
Carrhae was a battle that need not have happened. It was the success of Julius Caesar in Gaul that led Licinius Crassus, a rival for power, to move against the Parthians: Caesar was doing rather too well. Crassus had been a member of the First Triumvirate with Caesar and Pompey and then a consul with Pompey. His achievements were in danger of being overshadowed. In 55 BC Crassus went to Syria - a province he had been given when the spoils of the Empire were divided up - with war on his mind. The Parthian Empire to the east was an opportunity for glory and even greater wealth, although his desire for war was completely unnecessary and probably beyond his skills to manage. To be fair to Crassus, he was an adequate general rather than a great commander like Caesar and Pompey. He probably knew he owed his place in the Triumvirate to his enormous wealth. There also have to be some doubts in Julius Caesar's true motives in writing to Crassus urging him to go to war.
Parthian Cataphracts preparing to ambush the Roman cavalry
In 53 BC he got his war but foolishly rejected local advice and marched directly towards the Parthian heartland: he had been advised to attack through the mountains of Armenia. The legions crossed the Euphrates at Zeugma, pressed eastwards, but on hearing the Parthians were near, Crassus reformed the army into a massive marching square. An army of horse archers and cavalry under the inspiring commander Surenas then confronted him. As the Roman infantry stood firm, the Parthians began the battle with a cacophony of beating drums to dishearten their enemies. Then the arrow storm started...
The Parthians captured and executed Crassus. He was probably the wealthiest man in the Roman world, and the Parthians poured molten gold down his throat. They also slaughtered the Roman standards, including legionary eagles, wounded and took the survivors into captivity.
Scipii Faction
The Scipii are one of the factions in Rome .
Being one of the three Roman families, the House of the Scipii will receive missions from the Senate, and will be forced to deal with the consequences of not completing them.
The Scipii are another of the Roman factions and they have the ability to abolish the Carthaginians that make their cities in Africa. They are somewhat different from the other factions, appreciating the old-world elements of Greece. The Scipii start with a small hold in Italy, but have the power to expand outward to the sea.
Their goals are to gain honor and dominate Rome under their supreme rule.
The Scipii start out as a wealthy Roman family, but with a few problems. They're not as respected as the other Roman factions and therefore don't start out with much. However, tasked with eliminating the Carthaginians, they have a vast goal that would elevate them into the hearts of all Romans.
In the House of Scipii, powerful Roman legionaries and cavalry can be trained for the glory of the Senate. Strengths in infantry outweigh that of horse legions, but they are a well-rounded faction, capable of nothing but total domination.
At a certain point during their times, the Senate will demand that The Head of Scipii commit suicide. If they will accepts their demand, the heir will become the faction leader and the process will be renewed several years later. If the scipii refuses, it will initiate a Civil War, . It should be noted that, once the House of Scipii's popularity with the people is high enough, the player can simply initiate the Civil War by attacking another Roman faction. The Scipii Romans begin with control of two settlements, Capua on the Italian mainland and Messana in north-eastern Sicily.
The Scipii initially have a hard time in the campain. They are the only faction whose first settlement, they are ordered to take, will initiate a war. However, they start out with more troops compared to the other families, and in the later stages of the time can dominate other factions with their vastly superior fleet units.
Mirmillo Gladiators: Every Roman faction has its own unique type of gladiator, and the Mirmillo Gladiators are the ones that are available to the Scipii.
Corvus Quinquireme: A battleship that is slightly more powerful than a regular quinquireme. Becomes available when a player builds a temple to Neptune in the capital city.
Deceres - The most powerful battleship available to any nation. available once it is builds a Pantheon to Neptune.
Into the Scipii family was born one of the most famous world commander and Hannibal Barca's defeater - Publius Cornelius Scipio.
House of Julii
The gens Julia or Iulia was one of the most ancient patrician families at Ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the consulship was Gaius Julius Iulus in 489 BC. The gens is perhaps best known, however, for Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator, and grand uncle of the emperor Augustus, through whom the name was passed to the so-called Julio-Claudian dynasty of the 1st century AD. The nomen Julius became very common in imperial times, as the descendants of persons enrolled as citizens under the early emperors began to make their mark in history.