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The Roman Forum By Bert Kaufmann-Wikimedia

Top 15 Historical Events That Happened in Rome

*Originally published by Lilian in June 2020 and Updated by Vanessa in August 2022

Rome is known as the eternal city that was once referred to as the capital of the world.

This city is among the oldest and a lot has happened here. Back in the day the Romans were among the most innovative in their architecture, culture, and social structures and were able to export this to others around the world.

This probably explains the adage of all roads leading to Rome. Rome was such a vast empire that started from Gaul and Spain to Egypt and Asia. Even after the fall of the empire and its territory shrinking to the Current state (Italy), Rome has retained its former glory.

Here are the top 15 historical events that happened in Rome.

1. Rome was Founded (753 B.C.E)

Remus and Romulus By EmDee – Wikimedia

Top on the list is the origin of the founding of the city. There is an ancient tale that explains the origin as having been founded by two brothers, Romulus and Remus.

The two are said to have been adopted by a wolf and once grown sought to establish their city. They crossed the seven hills and it is there that they pondered what hill to settle on.

They allegedly consulted a bird, whoever saw more birds was considered to be favoured by the gods. Remus believed that Aventine hill was the place to settle while Palatine hill was Romulus option.

Remus ruined his brothers’ wall and a fight ensued, it ended with the death of Remus. These series of events are believed to have happened in 7544 B.C.E.

After the death of his brother, Romulus was in charge of over 2 million square miles stretching from present Britain, Asia Minor, Rhine river to Egypt. It is also believed that it is through the two brothers that Rome got its name.

2. Roman officially became a Republic in 509 BC

After the reign of Romulus, Rome was ruled by a king and the great families, also known as the patricians. As the territory expanded, the king formed a new governing structure in 509 BC, it is when Rome was recognized as a republic.

Rome became a republic after its army overthrew and conquered the Etruscan conquerors that ruled it for centuries.

This type of leadership was emulated by other countries that saw how well it worked for the Romans. The structure was set in a way that the citizens were allowed to select their preferred leaders.

Those allowed to vote were distinguished from the others by wearing a toga, they were the privileged in the society and had different social classes within themselves.

Even with the liberty to choose their preferred leaders, there was a scuffle between the wealthy and the poor in society. The poor people felt neglected and unfairly treated, they also formed the bulk majority in the army.

The poor also known as the plebians questioned why the rich benefited from their toils and why only they had to go to war. The next event explains what was done to appease both sides.

3. Roman Law-The twelve tables 450 BCE

Law of the Twelve Tables By Wikimedia

The rift between the plebians and the patricians deepened as time went by. The commoners wanted a law that protected their social, legal and civil rights.

To settle this, a 10-man committee was appointed to draft a law that would be inclusive to all that lived in Rome. This group was known as Decemviri, they wrote a set of laws that mollified the needs and concerns of the commoners.

The laws of the twelve tablets were formulated to have an inclusive law for all. These laws were the first law code to ever be recorded in Rome.

The laws covered domestic complications, especially private property and family life. They were also allowed to marry from the patricians and also be part of the consuls.

In 287 BCE, Lex Hortensia declared the laws passed by the Concilium Plebis and that it was binding to all in the republic.

The twelve tablets would be hung in the public square during public functions or in the court and would always be referred to.

4. The Colosseum is built- 80 CE

The Colosseum was built in 80 CE for entertainment purposes, this was done to distract the citizens from getting concerned with all that was happening in other cities that surrounded them.

It was also built to pay tribute to the Roman empire by a politician known as Vespasian. The construction was completed by his son, Titus after he died during the construction.

There was no boring day in Rome, the citizens applauded to the idea of a massive entertainment centre for live-action. Many were drawn to the colosseum tow watch gladiators fight among many other events.

The colosseum sat on a6 acre land and had the sitting capacity of at least 50,000 people. The population of Rome back then is estimated to have been more than a million.

The colosseum had eighty entrances circled the outside of the building. It allowed easy access to and from the venue for the spectators.

The colosseum is also believed to be significant in portraying the power of Rome.

5. Julius Caesar, the first Roman Dictator-60 BCE

Julius Caesar on a horse with his Scribes By Jaques de Gheyn-Wikimedia

Historians and archaeologists believe that Julius Caesar was born on 12^th July 100 BC in Rome. He is believed to be one of the greatest military strategists to ever live as well as one of the smartest politicians of all times.

He conquered the Gauls in 51 BC and became the first Roman general to construct a bridge across the Rhine and invaded Britain. This afforded him the power to rule the military.

After taking over as the new ruler, Caesar executed government reforms and asked to be declared as Rome’s first dictator. He, however, did not rule Rome for a long time.

One of his decisions that are remembered to date is the formation of an alliance with Pompey and Crassus in 60 BCE. Crassus died in war while Caesar was in another warfighting in Gaul.

On learning about Crassus’ death, Caesar went to war with Pompey and conquered his army. During his short term as a ruler, Caesar expanded the Roman territory and had more colonies, he also provided homes for the poor citizens in Rome. He is also credited for designing the original Julian calendar that is still in use today.

6. Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44BC

By 44 B.C.E., Julius demanded the Senate to make him dictator for life. This, of course, did not sit well with them. Caesar had become the most powerful ruler in Rome and had brought about significant changes in Rome.

Without his intervention, Rome would have been overpopulated with the poor having nowhere to live. This made him very popular with the citizens who appreciated his thoughtfulness.

Caesar’s desire to be the ultimate dictator worried his government because they thought it would lead to the downfall of the republic. So, the senators plotted to end his life.

On March 15 44 BC, during the festival of Ides, Julius Caesar was seated at the theatre of Pompey. The senators stabbed him more than 30 times and he fell in front of the statue of his former enemy, Pompey.

He was stabbed by some of his closest friends who believed that his death would be for the better good of the Romans.

7. The end of the Roman Republic between 44 BC -27 BCE

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, things spiralled downhill and there was unrest in the region. Rome ceased to be a republic and soon enough an empire was born.

Here is a little background on what transpired after Julius Caesar’s death. Immediately after his death, Mark Anthony took over the government but he had to make share power.

A civil war broke out and after 20 years of unrest, the republic was exited and the empire was birthed.

The new leadership came from Caesar’s family line and ruled Rome for another 100 years. Mark Anthony made a pact with Augustus; he ruled the eastern region while Augustus ruled the western region.

This agreement, however, did not last for long and a war ensued, Mark Anthony lost and he travelled to Alexandria, Egypt where he later died.

8. The rise of the Roman Empire and the First Emperor 27 BCE

A Statue of Emperor Augustus By Wikimedia

After winning against Mark Anthony and murdering Caesar and Cleopatra’s son who was to be the rightful heir, Augustus became the first Roman emperor in 27 BC.

He became the pontifex Maximus and formed a new bodyguard called the praetorian guard. During his reign, he revamped the city with new statues and marble carvings.

The emperor also built more bridges, aqueducts and other important infrastructure needed by his people.

Augustus also provided jobs for the poor through construction. Rome had been in disarray for more than 20 years and he hoped to bring back order and the splendour of the city.

Historians say that he is the one that brought peace back to Rome and that he was one of the best emperors in Rome. Under his leadership, there was little war and peace and prosperity were the new definition of the empire.

He won many of his citizen’s hearts because he not only transformed the city and the lives of the people, but also protected the city against enemies.

This empire grew further than during Caesar’s time, during Augustus’ time it reached Scotland and Saudi Arabia, the total population then was 70 million.

Augustus died on August 19, 14 AD. He had ruled the empire for 17 years.

9. 200 years of Roman Peace (27 B.E to 180CE)

Back when the rest of the world was up in turmoil and civil wars, the Romans experienced a peaceful period known as Pax Romana. This period is believed to have lasted for more than two centuries.

This period is attributed to emperors such as Augustus who worked hard to ensure that their territories were safe. This was achieved by focusing on art and the construction of the colosseum helped a great deal.

What emperor Augustus did was to beautify the city with marble, provide a living for the poor and ensuring that the people felt safe. The citizens in return were proud of their leader and worked hard in return to keep the eternal city beautiful and clean.

The fall of the empire happened shortly after the capital was moved from Rome to Ravenna, this was followed by civil war, and financial instability. The Goths took over and in 476 CE, the Roman empire was no more.

10. The Gold Coin and the Pax Romana 50 B.C.E

Introduced by Emperor Augustus, the coin was used in trading between the 1^st century and the 4^th century. it was made out of pure gold.

The coin was known as Aureus and was the value of 25 silver denarii. The coins were replaced in 309 when the solidus was introduced by Constantine I as a gold coin.

11. Gladiators faced a challenging opponent (and not just each other)

Jean-Leon Gerome Pollice Verso by phxart.org from

It’s reasonable to believe that gladiatorial combat was the most well-liked public spectacle in ancient Rome given the number of Hollywood movies with sword-wielding hotties and a thumbs-up/thumbs-down emperor. A distinct story is shown by seat capacity.

The Circus Maximus, which housed chariot racing, was even larger than the Colosseum, the gladiatorial battle arena that was originally known as the Flavian amphitheatre. The Colosseum’s arena, according to contemporary archaeologists, could hold 50,000 spectators. 250,000 people could see the chariot races at Circus Maximus.

12. Italy did not include Rome until 1870

Map Kingdom of Italy by William Robert Shepherd from

Wars between independent Rome and Italy had been raging since the late 19th century, with the Eternal City tenaciously retaining its independence. The game was over by 1870, for sure.

Rome was formally incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy on October 2nd when it was being besieged by the Italian army. One bright spot for the resentful Romans was that Florence was replaced as the country’s capital by Rome.

13. Romans loved the water

Italian Gardens by Paul Gillett from

The Romans were the first people to start prioritizing their water supply more than 2,000 years ago. Aqueducts and canals were used to bring it into the city, and fountains were installed all over the place. The city has more working fountains than any other place on Earth, with almost 2,000 of them still standing today.

The genuinely rich built pipelines from the canals into their residences to assure a steady supply of pure water. The remainder of the population made frequent use of the town’s numerous free public baths where they could complete their morning rituals.

These sanitary locations were open to anyone, and many of them were enormous complexes with opulent amenities. There were several hot and cold pools and chambers, as well as areas for relaxing, mingling, receiving massages, and even eating.

14. St. Peter’s Basilica’s construction took 150 years

Basilica di San Pietro by Alvesgaspar from

The State of the Vatican City, a nation inside the city of Rome, is where you may see this spectacular structure. Every traveller to Rome should stop at St. Peter’s Basilica, which stands on St. Peter the Apostle’s ancient burial ground. The Basilica was started by Julius II in 1506, and Bernini finished the circular plaza in front of it in 1667.

If you want to appreciate this cathedral’s real magnificence, you must enter and stand beneath Michaelangelo’s spectacular dome, which rises 448 feet above the ground.

15. In the past, Rome had take-out restaurants

Thermopolium Herculaneum by Jebulon from

The wealthy used to overindulge at lavish feasts during the height of the Roman Empire, throwing up in between courses to make room for more flamingo tongues. However, the majority of residents in Rome’s flats lacked a kitchen. They thus purchased hot meals at the many wine bars (popina) and snack bars (thermopolia) scattered across the city.

Thermopoliums were common across the Roman Empire, and one of the best examples may be seen in Pompeii, which is roughly two hours drive from Rome. A classic Pizza Romana is always an option if you want to experience the flavour of old Rome.

This pizza from Rome has a square shape, a crisp base, and toppings like ham, tomato, artichokes, olives, and even eggs.