As the legend goes, Romulus and Remus, Roman twins, were separated from their mother and left by the river Tiber to starve. However, a mother wolf found them and took care of them. Years later the boys were instructed by Mars, the Roman God of war, to build a city in the place where they had been found. They built the city but declared war against each other. Romulus won and thus the city came to be known as Rome.
Life in ancient Rome is said to have started in the 8th or 9th century BC. This happened when northern warriors shifted to the Italian peninsula and rehabilated around the river Tiber. For centuries, Rome was considered to be the most significant city in the ever expanding Roman Empire. Rome was the capital city and held all seats of power.
In historic times Rome was ruled by kings. These kings had the reputation of being extremely cruel. Owing to this, the last king, Tarquin the Proud, was overthrown and Rome gained a republic status for the next four centuries. Rome was then ruled by a Senate. Romans elected senators who carried out administrative tasks. A distinct feature about the Roman empire was that only Roman citizens were permitted to vote during elections. However, women, poor people and slaves were not considered to be citizens.
Rome also went through a phase where it was ruled by military generals. However, since these generals were many, decision making became a problem. The Romans needed an emperor to centralize power. This came in the form of Augustus Caesar who came to power in 27 B.C.
When Christianity gained popularity, Rome became an important seat of the Roman Catholic Church and home to the Pope. With the advent of the Middle Ages, mankind saw the decline of the Roman Empire. Inspite of a declining empire, the city revived its fame as the political capital of Europe for several hundred years uptil the Renaissance. Even today, Rome remains powerful and prominent as the capital of Italy with its beautiful architecture and culture.