eview of the contributions Rome made to the modern world.
Traditionally, Rome was founded as a city state in 753 B.C. The creation and consolidation of the early city state is placed by many historians from 800 to 575 B.C. Archaeological evidence shows that during this time a tremendous physical change took place in and around the city of Rome. Around 600 B.C., Rome began to become an urban center on the Italian peninsula a direct result of the growth of economic conditions in that part of the Mediterranean.
From 700 to 509 B.C. historians place ancient Rome in the political expansion phase of its development. It was during this period that Rome was ruled by kings, yet beside the king stood an advisory Senatorial body. The Roman class structure materialized during this period, as did a series of cultural developments. Economically and militarily Rome consolidated, but the real importance of this period is that Rome set the basis of later political, cultural, and religious patterns.
The year 509 B.C. brought changes to the Roman system because it was during this year that governmental control was placed with the aristocracy known as the patricians. During this period Rome also faced several external enemies, but went on to reorganize its political system and lay the basis for further expansion (Starr 463-464).
From 509 B.C. to 264 B.C. the Roman Republic evolved. Through trial and error, the debates between the patrician and plebeian classes, and the resulting struggles, the Roman Senatorial system emerged. The eventual outcome of these debates was that the patricians surrendered their exclusive positions without causing an internal revolution. By 264 B.C. Rome had reorganized its governmental system, conquered the Italian peninsula, grown to a population of approximately 80,000, and begun to look outward into the Mediterranean.
From 264 to 133 B.C. Rome expanded well into the Mediterranean. During thi...